A Different Ending
by Galgalatz
Summary: We've all read about a twilight obsessed fan -or hater- finding themselves in the midst of the series, but what if it was the other way around? Ordinary girl, Bella Swan wakes up one day to find herself in a world slightly different from the one she knew. What happens when she finds out that here, her life is nothing more than a best-seller?
1. Where am I?

**Disclaimer- I do not own Twilight, it's all Stephanie Meyer's… And not that that's out of the way…**

**SUMMARY**

We've all read about a twilight obsessed fan (or hater) finding themselves in the midst of the series, but what if it was the other way around? Ordinary girl, Bella Swan wakes up one day to find herself in a world slightly different from the one she knew. What happens when she finds out the _here__,_her life is nothing more than a best-seller?

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**Chapter 1-**

**Where am I?**

The pain was agony. It felt as though every cell in my body was on fire. I had no measure of time to go by, I might have been burning for days or perhaps mere minutes- there really was no way for me to know. For a never-ending space that was all there was; pain, pain and more pain. In this place I was alone, just me and the fiery torture. I wished to die, oh Lord how I wished I could be dead! Anything, everything was better than this. I'd welcome death gladly by now if it would mean I could escape the endless burn.

Suddenly the burning subsided and was replaced by an odd feeling, albeit like motion sickness only much much stronger. My head was spinning and I felt like throwing up, but just as fast as it had come, the feeling abruptly vanished. I opened my eyes expecting to see the world differently, seeing as I was now a vampire. Only, the moment I did so, I immediately felt that something was out of place; where there was previously a white ceiling was now the clear blue sky.

Had someone moved me while I had burned? I hadn't recalled such a thing, and I had been concentrating very intently on my surroundings in my attempt to distract myself from the pain, so that seemed rather unlikely. But what other explanation was there?

I looked around me, and realized that I definitely wasn't in Carlisle's office anymore. I was lying on my back surrounded by dumpsters in some sort of alley. On both of my sides were high buildings and in front of me was a dead end. But more importantly, I was alone. Where previously I had heard Edward's steady breathing was now silence and Edward -or any other Cullen for that matter- seemed to have vanished into thin air.

I didn't _feel_ any different, and nor did I see, hear or smell any better. There was no burn in my throat, and upon looking at my body, I could tell I looked no different as well. Was I not a vampire now? I had certainly recalled going through the transformation, as such a thing was hard to miss. So what had happened that made it stop if it was not yet complete?

The sound of muffled voices approaching woke me from my trance. I had suddenly realized that I had just been sitting there, unmoving for several minutes.

"Hey! Come on move it," a man's voice said. I couldn't see anyone around me so I assumed whoever it was had been speaking to some one else.

Sounds of shuffling and shoving were the response to the man's words. I was just able to catch a few mutterings beside that before there was silence once more.

When I heard the voice again, it sounded much closer this time, and I was fairly sure that it belonged to one of the human-shaped shadows which had now appeared on the brick wall on the side of the alley.

"Great, what are we supposed to do with her now?" one of the shadows asked.

"Can't we just leave her here?" another retorted.

I shifted myself in a way to try and see the people who were talking and finally got a glimpse. There were three men standing side by side creating some kind of half circle facing the wall on the side of the alley opposite from me.

They were obviously arguing over something by the tense way they held themselves, one of the men crossed his arms and answered the latter's question.

"I don't think so, that wasn't boss's instructions."

"Well boss said he'd be here to pick her up, do you see him here?" The third, a man with long black hair who was closest to me, asked rhetorically.

"Well I'm not about to get on his bad side. How about we leave her here, but use those pills of yours to keep her unconscious… Nobody will find her here and she won't escape, he can just take her later," the middle man offered.

"Sounds good enough for me," the first and farthest from myself, a man with short dirty blond hair decided. "Here, Matt, you do it." He said, before handing something to the middle man.

"Why is it always me?" I heard the other mutter, but he bent down and did something nonetheless. I felt myself shaking in fright, this whole situation was creeping me out, set aside as how I didn't even know how I got here. The man had said "why is it always me" meaning this wasn't the first time he had done this.

The man then straightened and stepped back as if to look at his "master piece" from a distance, allowing me to catch my first peek at the subject of the argument.

When I did however, I couldn't control the gasp that left my lips. Leaning against the wall with her eyes closed sat a young girl. She looked no older than about fifteen, and was considerably pretty. She was very small, with a petite figure. She had wispy, white-blond hair and a sweet face, but that was not the reason for my gasp.

I had been shocked, because her probably normally pretty face was filthy and covered with scrapes and bruises as were her arms and legs. She was wearing a rather short dress and high heels; the kind of outfit Alice would have chosen for me to wear to my graduation party had I let her.

Her head was hanging to the side, so I assumed she was unconscious. The men, who had thankfully not heard my gasp, seemed to have finished their business here and were now leaving the alley and heading towards the street.

Several minutes later when I was sure they were long gone, I quietly got up and approached the girl.

She was in worse shape than I had initially thought, and I had a feeling she wasn't going to wake up any time soon. Seeing her look like that made up my mind. I just had to help this poor girl. Who knew what kind of mess she was in?

I decided to call the Cullens, they were probably freaking out by now since I had just disappeared on them. I pressed call and waited only instead of the normal ringing, I was transferred to a recorded message; _"the number you have just dialed is disconnected please check to see if you have called the right number."_

I frowned, that was weird I'd never had trouble contacting them before. I tried again only to reach the recorded message once more.

What was going on? I was sure that this was the right number, and besides shouldn't have Alice seen where I was by now anyway? I had half expected her to find me before I even got to calling them, that was probably the main reason why I hadn't immediately panicked when I had awoken here.

I looked up again at the sky, it was still a clear blue so I didn't have to worry about the darkness just yet but that also made me realize something else-

There was no way in hell that I was in Forks right now.

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**A\N- Alright the first chapter is up! Please review-**

**I'll be sending an excerpt of the next chapter to all reviewers!**

**For those who didn't understand, this whole scenario takes place during her transformation, but she is NOT a vampire. It happens before the transformation is complete.**


	2. A Place to Stay

**Chapter 2- **

**A Place To Stay**

For the first time since I had awoken I was beginning to seriously panic. It had been a few hours since the men had left the alley leaving me alone with the unknown girl. I had thought that by now I would have succeeded in contacting the Cullens or at the very least would have found a place to stay while I sorted things out.

But apparently it was extremely hard to achieve either when you had nothing with you, but the clothes on your body and also had to deal with an unconscious person who couldn't exactly get up and walk on their own.

I had already tried going to the police station, hoping for help of some kind and at first, it had seemed that they _would _help me. They had carried the girl and set her in one of the rooms and later had taken a statement from me regarding our situation. I obviously couldn't tell them I had simply awoken in the alley with no memory as to how I got there so I made up the beginning saying that I happened to be passing by when it happened.

However, once we were done and I had asked for a phone call to contact my family seeing as my battery was dead, something strange happened. One moment the policeman, who reminded me a bit of Charlie, was casually talking to me after collecting my statement and the next after I had mentioned using their phone to contact the Cullens he seemed to be somehow surprised by my words.

"What's your name again?" He asked with an aura of suspicion.

"Isabella Marie Swan, but I prefer just Bella," I had answered politely.

"Bella, huh? And you want to call the Cullens do you?" His tone gradually getting angrier, until he was nearly yelling. "Let me guess, you want to speak to your beloved Edward, don't you?" He sneered disgustingly.

"Y-yes, how? Wha…? Do you know them by any chance?" I asked, very surprised.

"Think it's funny do you?" He had basically screamed at me, his face getting redder by the second.

"Wh-what's f-funny?" I stuttered, scared now.

But he was no longer speaking to me; he had turned and started talking to one of his co-workers.

"Stupid kids pulling stupid pranks, wasting my time" I heard him mutter.

He then proceeded to shock me further, by taking the printed statement crumpling it and throwing it to the trash can.

When he was done he turned to glare at me. "Well? What are you still doing here? Go get your friend and get out before I start pressing charges!"

I shuddered a bit at the memory, why the man had suddenly gotten so angry was still unknown to me. I decided I was best off not thinking of it.

A slight groan broke the silence, and I turned to look at the girl sitting beside me. We were sitting on a park bench with her more lying than sitting, since I couldn't find a better place to stay at for the time being.

She was now slowly waking up, and taking in her surroundings. I could tell she recognized where we were from the way her stiff posture relaxed after seeing a sign with the name of the street we were next to.

She still looked beat up and worn but at least she was awake now. Seeing as she was at loss, trying to understand how she had ended up here I decided to introduce myself. However I had no idea how to do so. What was I supposed to say? Hello I'm Bella. I just found you in an alley, after you were left there by a few men who did God knows what to you? That really didn't seem like a good way to break the ice.

Luckily for me, the girl spared me from having to say the first word by talking herself.

"Who are you and how did I get here?" she said in a hoarse voice, it sounded as though it was difficult for her to speak.

"Umm… Well I'm Bella, and I kind of found you unconscious and brought you here for now." I answered awkwardly, realizing how odd my explanation sounded.

She narrowed her eyes at me as if disbelieving my words.

"Unconscious? Why would I be..?" She suddenly stopped and her eyes widened. She turned her head to the sides, seeming as if searching for something. But I knew better; she was searching for _someone_, probably thinking the men were still around.

Upon seeing we were completely alone in the park, she visibly relaxed and continued questioning me.

"Was there anyone around when you found me?" She now asked in a small voice.

I nodded, and she shivered probably from the memory of the men.

Now it was my turn to question her, "What's your name?" I asked gently.

"Lisa, but everyone calls me Liz," she whispered.

"Alright then, Liz, do you think you can tell me what happened?" I continued questioning gently.

Liz nodded slightly and began speaking.

"I-I was at my friends house because she was th-throwing a big party. I was supposed to get a ride from one of my o-other friends but I couldn't f-find her and I promised my mom I wouldn't come home late, s-so I started walking home…" she mumbled, obviously finding it hard to continue, but nevertheless trying to finish her story.

"A-And I heard some voices and there were some guys s-scaring me… Th-they said it was a w-waste that I was re-r-_reserved_ for the b-boss, because I was such a p-pretty girl…" Liz looked absolutely haunted by now, as if she was reliving last night, but continued talking with an admirable determination despite her shaky voice.

"And they s-surrounded me, and forced something down my throat…" Liz stopped abruptly and stared at me with huge eyes. "I can't remember anything after that! I-I can't remember what they d-did…" she managed to say before bursting in to tears.

"Shhh… Calm down. Everything's fine, you're ok now," I tried to sooth her.

"No it's not!" She cried. "What if, what if they," she choked on her words, unable to finish. But I understood what she had wanted to say.

"Maybe they didn't! They said they weren't supposed to, right? And when they left you, it sounded like they hadn't brought you to this boss person yet…" I tried to reassure her. "Hey, calm down now, please." I begged, trying to somehow stop the water works.

She continued crying for several minutes and finally, when she stopped she looked at me with her pained gray-blue eyes, and said quietly, "I need to get home now."

I nodded and helped her stand up. "Where do you live?" I asked carefully, afraid of a trigger that would start another crying session.

"Just a couple of blocks from here, my mom used to take me to this park all the time when I was younger," she said in a cool voice, lacking any emotion. A rather stark contrast to earlier.

"I'll walk with you," I told her.

"You don't have to do that." She said, but I could tell she would feel safer not walking on her own.

"Nonsense, it's not like I have something better to do," I retorted.

She suddenly looked at me strangely. "How long have I been out?" She inquired.

"Just a few hours since I found you, I don't know how long before that," I said, surprised by the sudden change the conversation had taken.

"Why didn't you take me to your place then? Instead of sitting here on a public bench?" She questioned, now seeming suspicious.

"Well I, I don't really know where I am. I just sort of woke up here and now I can't contact my family so I don't really have anywhere to go." I answered truthfully, seeing as she had answered all of my questions before.

Her look suddenly changed from suspicion to one of pity, probably thinking that what happened to me was similar to her situation, since I couldn't tell her that the last thing that was happening to me was not being caught by several men but being in the middle of the transformation from human to vampire.

"You don't have anywhere to go?" She asked, using my previous words in form of a question.

I merely shook my head looking down, but when I looked up I noticed she seemed thoughtful. "Would you like to stay at my place 'till you contact your family?" She suddenly offered.

My eyes widened, she was offering me a place to stay? In that moment I felt like breaking down, and crying in relief.

I had wondered what I was supposed to do after she left and none of the options looked pretty so I couldn't even begin to express how thankful I was for her to take me off the streets.

"Yes, please, that would be wonderful of you, I was just wondering what I was supposed to do now." I answered quickly, the relief visible in my tone.

"Alright then, let's get a move on shall we?" She said with a small smile, and began walking in the direction of her home with me walking at her side.

After about ten minutes of walking together in silence, Liz slowed down and stopped in front of a house. It wasn't very big, but not too small either. It was painted white on the outside, and was obviously well kept. It had a very homey feeling to that got me relaxed just by looking at it.

Any little fears I had previously regarding staying here immediately vanished upon seeing her home. I let out a little sigh of relief I hadn't known I'd been holding. For now, I would be fine. I just had to keep that in mind until I'd find Edward again.

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**A\N- LIKE BEFORE, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	3. Discovery

**Chapter 3-**

** Discovery**

After a long talk with Liz's mother, or perhaps more like a long list of accusations coming from a worried woman followed by a tragic sob story, and lots of crying that probably couldn't have gone any worse, Liz showed me to her room and opened up a bed for me from beneath her own.

Liz had a typical teenage girl's room just without the pink- something I was highly grateful for.

Her room was all purple with a white ceiling and few posters and paintings adorning the walls. On one side of the room was a white wooden desk covered with a sheet of glass that held many photos of her with her friends stuck underneath. Above her desk were a few shelves filled to the brim with books. To my intense surprise I didn't recognize any, and here I thought I knew everything when it came to books!

On the other side was a simple bed, just above a cool fluffy silver carpet that had a few bean bags thrown on it.

It was so much better than my room back at Charlie's and I found myself feeling instantly comfortable.

I waited for her to exit the shower before going there myself. I hadn't really noticed before but I was downright filthy; I guess lying in an alley and walking the streets all day does that to people.

The feeling of hot water running down my back soothed my tense muscles and I felt myself gradually relax. With that however, came the tears. And they were just fucking unstoppable.

For some reason, it had suddenly hit me- I was away from Edward, that alone heartbreaking, but also Jacob, Alice, Rose, Emmet, Jasper, Esme, Carlisle, Charlie every name added causing a fresh pain in my heart. But most of all Renesmee, my baby!

I had only just met her, and already she was taken from me!

I trusted them all enough to take care of her, but that wasn't nearly good enough. I wanted her in _my _arms, not theirs.

The sudden grief was overwhelming, and I collapsed on the shower floor crying like there was no tomorrow. The water kept pouring on me while I cried, washing my tears away.

Eventually, I got up and closed the water, drying and dressing quickly in the PJ's Liz had lent me.

When I came back to the room I saw Liz was on her bed reading a book; the cover didn't look familiar so I asked her what it was.

She looked up at me with wide eyes, "You haven't heard of Twilight?" She asked quietly, seeming as though in shock.

I nodded my head no with a slight frown on my face; I thought I was quite the reader! Apparently, I must have been a bit too stuck on the classics and had missed all the new books…oh well, I guess now I can catch up.

"What's it about?" I asked her curiously, wanting to know more suddenly of this book.

"Well… It's basically a love story between a human and a vampire," she said after a bit of thought. Luckily for me I hadn't had any water in my mouth otherwise I'd surely be spluttering; the only coherent thought in my mind a loud _**WHAT?**_

I told myself to calm down, it couldn't have anything to do with me. There was just no way. The Cullens were very good at hiding their tracks so I had nothing to be worried about since it was impossible it had something to do with Edward and myself right? Right?

"Oh," I croaked, still too surprised to take this easily.

She on the other hand, seemed to suddenly have remembered how to use her mouth because once she had started speaking, it was endless.

"I can't believe you've never heard of it! I thought everyone knew of Twilight, especially girls our age! It's like my favorite series of all times, I've read the books so many times now I know it nearly by heart. You _have _to check it out; here I'm reading the fourth right now you can have the first," she rambled while shoving a book into my hands.

The book was all black with a picture of pale hands holding a red apple on the cover. I turned it to the other side and I swear my heart stopped.

I caught mine and Edward's names in the summary and quickly read it to make sure I wasn't mistaken. Once. Twice. Again.

Every time I felt the shock that wouldn't shake off, it couldn't be what I thought it was…could it?

I quickly opened the book to the first chapter, told myself to relax, and began reading.

I had only gotten to third page before coming to the conclusion that this was _exactly _what I thought it was – a whole freaking book based on Edward and myself! What the hell? How did this happen?

I quickly skimmed to the end of the book to see how far it went and relaxed slightly when I saw it ended at prom…that wasn't so bad, it could have been worse.

Suddenly something Liz had said earlier registered in my mind. _I'm reading the fourth book…favorite __**series**__ of all times… _I was horrified at my sudden realization- there was more.

"Umm Liz?" I asked softly trying to keep the panic from my voice. "How many books exactly are there in this series?"

"Just four," she said, frowning slightly at my expression. "Is something wrong?"

Knowing she would never believe me if I told her the truth I merely shook my head no and stared at the wall, deep in thought.

I understood now the policeman's reaction earlier today. Liz had said that this was a popular series so he must have heard of it somehow…perhaps he even had a daughter that was a fan, who knew? So when I started talking about fictional characters as my family and myself of course he would think that it was some sort of prank.

I thought back to the series themselves. Four books…but then, how did they end? I suddenly had a burning uncontrollable need to find out exactly how our story ended-

What if there was more? Our future? My Renesmee? I _had _to find out. And soon.

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**A\N- Awesome! I got 6 reviews! -Does happy dance- Don't laugh at me! Ahh, who am I kidding? Laugh yourselves out. I know I'm being ridiculous.**

**ANYWAY, since it's all positive feedback, -with the exception of one that I have no idea what it meant, what exactly is briloo supposed to mean? I'm waiting for an explanation on that one Mr. Guest! Probably a girl though, if you are and you're reading this, I'm sorry :)**

**So, as I was saying before I got sidetracked, I'll be posting the next chapter when I hit 20 reviews. Demanding much, aren't I? However do you put up with me?**

**AS ALWAYS I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT FROM THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS! **

** NOW GO AHEAD AND START PUSHING THOSE BUTTONS!**


	4. The Twilight Series

**Chapter 4- **

**The Twilight Series**

I have come to the conclusion that my life is messed up. Badly.

I had recently finished this so called Twilight series; which by the way portrayed me rather badly in my opinion- I'm not that much of a martyr, right? And my whole depression episode left me annoyed with myself. It was obvious reading it neutrally that Edward had left me "for my own good" and not because he didn't love me. How dense was I?

_Anyway, _even though it had been a shock finding out that there were books written about me I think I was even more surprised when I found about the movies. Yes! There were freaking _movies!_ Do you see now why I think my life is messed up? Gah!

I watched them all, since I found it amusing to see actors portraying scenes from my life. It still amazed me every time they said actual sentences I did, how did they know all of this?

It was only a couple days after finding out about Twilight that I found out what was exactly the magnitude of these books popularity. Liz wasn't kidding when she said she thought all girls our age knew of the books.

There were websites, forums, pictures, drawings, parodies… It was plain endless!

I think the website that amused me most was a fan fiction site of some kind. The "authors" of the site took our lives and simply changed it to how they saw was best. Few were actually interesting to read, some left me laughing and many left me downright embarrassed and blushing - people wrote about my sex life! What the hell?!

Through this entire episode of finding out anything and everything that had to do with the series Liz watched amusedly from the sidelines. She was surprised I had become this obsessed so quickly but shrugged it off probably thinking that I had just taken a liking to the series and was going to be just another fan girl. Little did she know.

But between all the amazing discoveries I made that had to do with the series, the one thing that had definitely interested me most was the final part of the last book. The one part I had yet to experience.

From the point in which I had opened my eyes in the books, everything that happened had not yet actually happened, confusing right?

I read every word from that point with a bated breath since I didn't know what was to come next but when I finally finished reading something felt wrong, untrue – and it left me uneasy.

It was as if I felt that the ending was an impossibility, a lie. I was always one to hope for happy endings but this one just felt too perfect, too happy – hence, an impossibility.

I did not doubt mine and Edward's love. It was completely believable that we could have had an amazing forever together. But, I did doubt the Volturi's ability to leave us unharmed. Even if I _did_ have some kind of supposedly amazing vampire super power that Aro desperately wanted.

I was confused as to why I was feeling like this. Perhaps it was merely reading about it that made it seem ridiculous and I would have felt the same reading any other part of the story had I not experienced it for myself and known for a fact that it was true.

Yet somehow, I had a feeling that that wasn't the case. For some reason I thought our happy ending described in the final book was just that- nothing more than a few words on a piece of paper. Not our future.

A month after arriving at Liz's I was beginning to feel hopeless; there hadn't been a word from the Cullens. But then again, ever since I found about Twilight I had a feeling finding the Cullens would be a lot harder than I originally thought.

I wanted to get to Forks myself and kick their butt for not coming for me already but I had no way to get there. I couldn't reach the Cullens so I tried reaching dad even though I knew it would arouse questions- he still thought I was in some medical center in Switzerland or something… But I couldn't reach him either so none of that mattered anyway. I tried the same with mom, Phil, even Angela, Jessica and Mike!

No one answered.

I had no money on me so I couldn't get their on my own and I felt guilty needing to ask for more help from Liz- they had done too much for me already.

At times I doubted myself, could it be that the Cullens and all that had happened at Forks had been nothing more than a dream? But then I would remember Edward more clearly than anything and know for sure that my imagination wasn't that good. There was no way I could conjure such a perfect being, even if it was just in my mind.

And yet, I knew that something had changed. I didn't think it was a coincidence that I had never heard of Twilight and the day I wake up somewhere entirely different from the place I had been this book is suddenly popular. I had a feeling that I would have heard of the book before had it existed back at home.

But what kind of book exists only in certain parts of the world? It made no sense.

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**A\N- ****AS ALWAYS I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	5. Road Trip

**Chapter 5- **

**Road Trip**

Eventually I broke, and asked Liz for help getting to Forks. She was surprised at first by how far I lived from here; we were at the moment in a small city named Irvine in Orange County, California- I wasn't even in the right state. Forks was nearly a full day away driving straight with no stops.

This however, created an opportunity for Liz. She was already out for summer vacation and she was getting bored. Just for the record, time and boredom are a _very _bad combination for teenagers. And she had both.

So it shouldn't have been such a surprise when instead of sending me off to Forks somehow she proposed to make a road trip out of it. But seriously, where did she get these ideas?

For some reason unknown to me her mother was all for it. She was encouraging her teenage daughter to go on a few days road trip with some person that she barely knew. True, I had bunked with them for the past month or so but _still_. This wasn't normal behavior, was it?

So that's how I found myself the next day driving her mother's old Honda civic coupe with Liz at the passenger seat listening to some new pop song called "Call me maybe"… Damn I missed the classics, but Liz wouldn't agree to hear it. What was wrong with Clair De Lune?

The car itself was a bit old and dirty but it was a definite upgrade from my truck. Edward would have been horrified though…I quickly turned my thoughts before they became too painful.

I decided to distract myself by talking to Liz. I enjoyed her company and I knew I would miss her when we would go our separate ways.

"Hey Liz, when do you want to make our next stop?" I asked her, my thoughts headed towards the nearest gas station.

"Well I was kinda hoping," she said nervously, looking at me with big doe eyes "…we could maybe go on a small detour…"

"Nothing big," she added quickly. "It's on our way, not even really a detour. Just-"

I cut off her rambling, "where do you want to go?"

"I want to make a stop in San Francisco. There's this bookstore that Stephanie Meyer's going to be at tomorrow. You know signing books and stuff… and I really want to go."

"Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?" She added, trying to puppy face me into agreeing.

She needn't do that though, I was actually all for her idea… I still didn't know what to make of these books, and who could give me answers better than the person who wrote them herself?

We stopped at a motel in San Francisco that night since I didn't want to drive half asleep the following morning. But as I was about to find out- some fates you just can't escape.

* * *

"Bella, look out!" Liz yelled, causing me to spill my morning coffee all over myself. Well now isn't that just a lovely way to start the morning? Darn latte.

"Bella! Red light! Red light!" Liz continued yelling, God! She didn't need to worry so much. I'm not that bad a driver… Just... probably should stick to using two hands.

Well it's not my fault _someone_ was anxious to get there and didn't let me drink my coffee like a normal human being.

"Liz, I understand you may be worrying about my driving, but please; screaming in my ear is _not_ going to help. Trust me." I said in an annoyed voice, this morning was not going like I hoped it would.

"Well it's not my fault you're driving like a lunatic!" she hissed loudly, but obviously a bit more calmly than her previous yelling seeing as I was now using two hands instead of one.

"Whatever," I muttered, effectively ending that conversation.

We found the bookstore a few minutes later. Overall the damage wasn't so bad; at least the car was whole. My clothes on the other hand, they will never be the same color again. Wretched latte!

Liz was really anxious to be there so I told her to wait in line while I went to the restroom to try and clean myself the best I could before the stain became permanent.

The book signing affair was located at the large Barnes & Nobles. I could see posters on the windows announcing the event. Inside the shop were surprisingly, not only a mob of teenage girls but also older women.

Actually, it seemed that the readers of Twilight varied among many ages. But still mostly teenagers. And they were all girls, beside a few boys who were most likely dragged there against their will.

It amazed me to see how many Edward and mine's story touched. Amazed, and totally creeped out.

We entered the shop and I quickly went in search of the girl's room getting a few odd looks on the way. I wondered how I must have looked to them; a teenage girl running in the large Barnes & Nobles pulling her T-shirt away from her, so most of the stained part won't touch her body. Okay, so I might have deserved their looks…

It was only after I was scrubbing the huge coffee stain for several minutes that I had truly thought of our situation. How was I going to get the author of _Twilight _to answer my questions in the middle of this whole signing books affair? Would she even know what I was talking about? If she didn't… She'd think I was mad. A crazy fan.

Wonderful. Remind me how my life came to this?

The sound of a door opening pulled me out of my reverie.

I realized I had already wasted more than enough time on this stupid stain, so I quickly shut the tap of water, dried my hands, and turned to the exit.

Only there, by the door, was someone waiting for me.

"Ah, Bella," the person said with a smile. "We meet at last."

**A\N- AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	6. Stephanie Meyer

**Chapter 6-**

** Stephanie Meyer**

She was average-looking, nothing special. But that might just be how I see the world now, after being so prejudiced by vampires.  
She had curly, brown, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes.

Brown eyes. Meaning they were not red, black, or yellow.  
She was human. And she was also Stephanie Meyer, the woman I was looking for.

My mind whirled, trying to make sense of her words. What did she mean, "we meet at last"? And how on earth did she know my name?

"By the confusion on your face I'm guessing you have many questions for me, correct?" She asked coolly as though she did this every other day.

I nodded slightly, not yet trusting my ability to speak.

"I take it you know who I am?" Another nod.

"Good," she said with relief in her tone. "That makes things easier, much less to explain than last time."

Last time...? What? This woman was making no sense whatsoever. Just when I think she can't confuse me further, she goes ahead, and proves me wrong.

"Come, we need to speak, but this is not the right place," she continued in that even tone of hers.

She abruptly turned, and left the room, leaving me surprised. What the hell just happened here?

I quickly left as well, trying to catch up with her. "Wait!" I yelled at her back.

She turned and gave me an inquiring look. "What?" She asked, unphased by my yelling.

"Where are you going?" I asked, while trying to make sense of the woman standing in front of me.

"We are going somewhere more private to have your questions answered," she answered quickly, as though repeating a well rehearsed line.

"But, what about my friend? And your book signing?" I questioned desperately.

"Get Liz, and bring her with you. As for the book signing…well there are more important things at stake," she answered. "I'll be waiting in the car." She said, before continuing her fast pace to the exit.

Great, so she knew Liz's name as well. I really should stop being so surprised by everything that happens to me. Oh well.

I somehow managed to find Liz among the masses of teenage girls. Don't even get me started on how many people I had to shove till I found her. Just don't. I think I'll have nightmares from those girls.

I told her a rushed version of the last few minutes and she quickly followed me to the car.

There, already waiting for us in the driver's seat, was Stephanie. How did she…? The key! I checked my pockets and relaxed when I saw it was still there.

But then how did she get in?

I got in the passenger's seat and a grumpy Liz sat in the back.

"The keys, if you may," she requested with a smile on her lips.

I was surprised by how different she was acting compared to a moment ago. It seemed that now that we were out of there she was more relaxed.

"Like that's stopped you before," I muttered but handed them over nonetheless.

She heard me and chuckled, "I still need to keep up appearances here," she said in a low tone.

"Appearances?" I asked surprised, "Aren't you human?"

"I am most definitely not human, child" she said with a slight chuckle. "Don't let the looks deceive you."

My eyes widened. "Then _what_ are you?" I asked suspiciously and also slightly frightened. But I didn't let that show. I needed to look strong, for Liz's sake.

"Relax, child, I'm no threat to you. Quite the contrary, I'm trying to help you. I'm on your side."

"Would you stop calling me child? I'm not that young" I said, annoyance strong in my tone.

"You are compared to me," she shrugged me off.

"Care to explain?" I asked, still very much annoyed at the mystery that was this woman.

"I will. But now is not the time, nor the place. Be patient, I'll answer your questions soon enough."

We drove for a long time until we were far away from San Francisco. Millions of questions were running through my head.

What was she?

How did she know who we were?

How did she know every detail of my life?

Where is she taking us?

But there was one question I kept coming back to that was bothering me the most-

Is she the reason I am here? Here, and not back at home with Edward?

She continued driving for another two hours, until we were away from civilization. But then a new thought entered my mind-

Should we even trust her?

Well it was too late for that now. We arrived in front of some crappy motel in a small and rather empty town. I half expected to see one of those balls of dust and twigs rolling in the wind, the kind that you always see in the movies when the characters arrive at a deserted place.

Liz and I followed Stephanie into the old motel. Inside, was an even more pathetic sight.

Everything was covered in grime and dirt. The windows were either broken or shattered. The wall paper was coming off at the top. Instead of one of the couch's legs was a pile of books. And as for the people? The place was almost completely empty. The only person in sight, was a short, middle-aged man smoking behind the front desk.

I tried my best to hide my disgust at the place. Why had Stephanie brought us here? Surely with a career as successful as hers, she could afford a better place. Unless of course, it was just the secrecy she desired.

She went over to the front desk and arranged a room, while Liz and I sat in the broken lounge waiting for her and meanwhile having a conversation in hushed tones.

"Do you think we can trust her?"

I understood Liz's caution, but this was no normal situation. It slightly felt as though we were being kidnapped, but for some reason I felt I could trust this woman.

"We're here, aren't we? Doesn't that mean we already do?" I whispered back.

She frowned, mulling that over for a minute.

"Perhaps," she decided. "But make sure to have an escape plan in case something goes wrong."

I nodded in agreement, in fact I had already thought of that. But if this woman truly wasn't human, no plan on earth could help us. We could only hope for the best.

* * *

**A\N- So mystery person was S. Meyer! Quite a few guessed that, although she's going to be completely different from real life, if you haven't figured that out yet :)**

**Big thanks to all reviewers! You guys are the best! **

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**

**NEXT CHAPTER THE BIG QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED!**


	7. The Observers

**Chapter 7-**

** The Observers**

"Very well then," Stephanie said in a tired voice. "I suppose I have to explain myself now don't I?"

We were sitting in one of the dark rooms in the crappy motel. I had already explained my story to Liz, but I don't really think she believes me yet. She just thought I was delusional.

But, she hadn't left me alone at least. She was sitting silently next to me, listening as well.

Stephanie had subtly avoided my questioning up until now, but there simply were no more excuses left she could use.

I immediately began my line of questions without stopping for a breath.

"What are you? What are we doing here? How do you know all those things about me? How did I get here?"

I could have continued, but she abruptly cut me off, raising her hand signaling stop.

"How about I tell you my story without any interruptions, then if you have any questions left I'll answer them?" She offered.

I nodded my head to show I was listening.

"Well, let's start with what I am. You already know I'm not human, of course." She chuckled, "but I don't believe you have ever heard of my kind."

"You see, I am a part of a species that gives inhuman a new definition. We are much more powerful than any vampire, were-wolf, shape shifter or any other mythical being you can think of."

My heart beat wildly in my chest, and I turned suddenly fearful of her answering my questions.

"Oh you don't need to worry. I'm not dangerous to you," she reassured.

"My kind, are creatures that do nothing but observe the universe. Observe, and rarely also intervene."

"We have the power to shift through dimensions, and we change shape to blend in with the beings in the universe we reside in." She turned thoughtful for a moment then added, "It's like being in a T.V that you can change the channels and adapt to every channel," she explained.

She reminded me of Edward, trying to explain the supernatural using terms I'm familiar with. My heart ached at the reminder.

She paused for a moment to see if I was still following. I decided to listen now, and think of all this later. Maybe that way I would be able to go through this conversation somewhat sane.

"That is how I know of your life, Bella. I've been watching over you since you've decided to come to Forks. You interested me you see, and you also gave me an idea."

"I have roamed this universe for many millenniums and as of late I had been getting bored…I watched your story unfold Bella, and was struck with inspiration. I decided to write your story, and turn it into a book. I obviously couldn't have you finding out, so I sold the book in another dimension, this one."

"I have actually also done that with another being in a different dimension…have you read 'The Host'?" She asked curiously.

But I was already beyond hearing her. I leaned back in my seat and tried to process what she had said. I was yet another mythical being's source of amusement? Oh joy. Why does everything seem to happen to me?

A sudden thought struck me. "So what's changed? You yourself said a moment ago I wasn't supposed to find out about all of this."

She suddenly turned grave, "you're right…you weren't supposed to know." She then got up and walked to the window, staring outside.

With her back to us she asked quietly, "have you read the books, Bella?" I nodded, but then remembered she couldn't see me and whispered a faint "yes."

"The ending..," her voice turned hard. "Is fake. You don't _have _a happily ever after. I changed it for my reader's sake knowing it was what they wanted to hear."

I wasn't too surprised. I had a gut feeling that was the case ever since I read the ending for the first time.

"What happened?" I whispered so quietly I almost didn't hear myself. She turned slowly, and her eyes softened as she saw my face.

"The Volturi confrontation…didn't end well for your side," she whispered softly.

I choked a sob. I could see the picture all too clearly in my head. I could see the bodies of my loved ones being ripped apart and thrown into the burning pyre.

"But you see, Bella, I've grown fond of you after watching over you for so long, and I couldn't let that happen."

"Wait," I choked. "But how do you know this? It's the future isn't it?" I asked clinging to hope for a mistake. Clinging to a mild chance that there was a different future for my loved ones.

"It's complicated," Stephanie said grimacing. "I told you before, we rarely intervene. But when we do, we have to have ways to help don't we?" She asked with a grim smile.

"I don't get it."

She sighed. "How could we change something, if we only realized we needed to change it after it happened?" She asked rhetorically.

"We have a kind of ability that allows us to start over to a certain point, it doesn't affect our kind- they remember everything that happened- but it does affect everyone else in the same dimension. That's why we don't intervene often."

"Y-you mean there's an entire race out there, who has the power to set back time and fix mistakes? But then, why are there wars? Why won't your kind prevent them? There are so many things! Why did none of you try to stop Hitler? Or prevent the discovery of the nuclear bomb?! Or," I gushed frantically.

"Stop, you don't understand. This is complicated business. We can't just go back and change everything. Can you imagine what would happen, or what the world would look like if we prevented some of these events you mentioned? Sometimes, unpleasant things are necessary for the greater good!"

"Besides, your home is not the only dimension in existence. There are countless others, and it isn't our job to clean up after your mistakes. It's an option, not a necessity. We do it rarely and usually on small scales –like your case- as to not disturb the time line too much."

"I personally experienced it only five times in my entire lifetime and twice it was my doing." She said, trying to make me understand the weight of these actions.

"Twice?" I asked. "I'm the second?"

"Both times trying to help you" she added as an after thought.

This new information surprised me. "What do you mean?" I asked shakily.

"It means I've already tried changing your future. And I failed."

My heart plummeted to the floor.

* * *

**A\N- I'm so sorry, I forgot to update! I was on vacation for three days, and there was no wifi! The horror! But now I'm back, so all's good. :)**

**I know this chapter might be confusing for some. For those who didn't get something, leave me the question as a review and I'll try to answer you the best I can. **

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING EXCERPTS OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	8. More Explanations

**Chapter 8-**

** More Explanations**

"Failed?" I asked, uncomprehending. My voice sounded blank, devoid of hope. I hardly recognized it as my own.

"Yes, I made an incredibly stupid mistake last time. I hadn't considered all the factors…" She said, her eyes glassed over, obviously deep in sad memories. "I'll explain it to you in a moment, but first I'll need to answer another one of your questions for you to understand," she said with a sigh.

Huh? What question? Why couldn't she just tell me?

"You asked why you're here, correct?" I nodded slowly trying to see where she was going with this.

"Have you figured out where is _here _yet Bella?"

"A questionable motel a few hours away from San Francisco?" I replied lamely, not quite getting her point.

"Bella!" Liz suddenly spoke up, "Didn't you hear her explanation on how come your life is a written into book?" She asked.

"I did," I shot back.

"Then what did she say?" Liz challenged, trying to get me to see the answer.

"She said she watched over me and wrote the book" I answered, unable to grasp her point.

Liz sighed, and tried again. "How come you've never heard of Twilight up until now, Bella?"

"Because she sold the book in a different dimension, this one….oh" I gasped in sudden understanding.

"I'm in a different dimension!"

Suddenly the Cullens absence along with everybody else I knew made sense; of course I couldn't contact them, we were in different dimensions!

But that still didn't explain one thing-

"How the hell did I get here?" I asked, a turmoil of emotions going through me- shock, outrage, disbelief…Jasper would have burst had he been anywhere near me.

Stephanie shrugged it off, "I brought you here, of course."

I slumped in my chair trying to process this information as well. It seemed that was all I did these days.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously. "Couldn't you have just come yourself? Why drag me to another dimension?"

Why couldn't you have left me with Edward? I added in my head.

"That's what I did the first time," she said, sitting gracefully in her chair. "But like I said before- I didn't take in count other factors," she said miserably.

"I came to your home, told all the Cullens what I told you now and what I thought you should do to prevent the outcome."

"What went wrong then?" I asked with a burning curiosity.

"I didn't think of Aro's power," she said miserably. "One touch, and he saw all of Edward's memories. Including those of me."

Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "It was awful, Bella, I just gave them another excuse to kill you. You all died again and it was my entire fault that time."

I tried to comfort her, "if you hadn't tried we'd be dead anyway. It doesn't matter now- we're trying again aren't we?" I asked in a reassuring tone.

"That's true," she sniffled.

"So that's why you brought me here? Because Aro can't read my thoughts?" I asked her.

"Yes…Well that and I needed you to befriend Liz," she added as an after thought.

"Me?" Liz asked confusedly, suddenly much more keen on listening.

"Liz?" Now I was really confused, "what's she got to do with any of this?"

"After you guys died the last time I knew I needed a new plan," she sighed.

"Once the Volturi found out about my kind's existence they understood that I could –and would simply bring back the time again and again until you guys came out victorious. They couldn't let that happen so they went in search of another observer, that's the name for someone of my kind, anyway they searched for another that would support them."

"And they found one?" I guessed.

"They were very lucky," Stephanie said discouraged. "Had no one revealed themselves they never would have succeeded. But apparently, my meddling alerted a few others that were in the same dimension. One of them came snooping around and when he figured things out he decided to help them."

"Why would he do that?"

"Found it amusing probably," she shrugged. "They appointed him fourth vampire ruler even though he's not even a vampire."

She let out a hollow chuckle. "They're deathly scared of him. I can see why he finds it so amusing. They treat him as though he were a god."

I frowned. "I still don't see what this has to do with Liz."

"I can't say," she admitted. "I just know she has a big part in this- thanks to her you will have a chance of living."

"How can you know?" Liz asked looking doubtful.

"I just do," Stephanie said shaking her head, "I can't tell you any more than that."

Liz and I shared a brief look of suspicion, but I quickly shook my head from the thought. It was obvious to tell by looking at Stephanie that she believed her every word was nothing but the honest truth. Even if it was completely crazy.

I took a deep breath, and began summarizing to see if I had gotten things straight.

"Let's see if I got this all shall we?" I asked and began speaking without waiting for an answer.

"So you're some kind of mythical being that can shift through dimensions, you watched over me –completely stalker like behavior by the way- for about two years in which you decided to write an entire series about my life and later sold it in yet another dimension."

"After realizing I didn't get my 'happily ever after', you then decided to help me by 'setting back the time' and came to my dimension to try to change the course of events. You failed, and the Volturi got one of your species to help them, so that even if you will succeed and we will live, he will merely set back the time again and change the course of events to his liking- helping the Volturi in the process."

"So then you decided to try again, even though it's rather hopeless by this point and we're most likely disturbing the natural way of things setting back the time all the time. But! –yes here comes the big but- for some reason that you cannot tell us; all will be resolved in our favor if we ask for help from the fifteen year old human fan girl who just found out about the existence of mythical beings."

"Did I get that right?" I asked sweetly.

"Yup that pretty much summarizes everything," she grinned back at me.

I took another deep breath before suddenly screaming like a madwoman. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MARBLES LADY?!"

Both she and Liz looked at me shocked- they did not see that one coming.

* * *

**A\N- I know this is OOC for Bella, but come on! I _had _to get a normal reaction from that girl. It always annoyed me when she'd take all these supernatural things so calmly! Who acts like that? It's completely unreal!**

**Eh-hm. Glad I got that out. Sorry for ranting :)**

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	9. Heading Home

**Chapter 9- **

**Heading Home**

"I'm so sorry for losing my cool like that. I don't know what came over me," I apologized for the umpteenth time that hour.

"It's fine, Bella, it was a lot of information to take in at once." Stephanie reassured, but I could see a remaining bit of hurt in her eyes.

"That's still no excuse," I muttered.

"Never mind that now," Stephanie said in a blank tone. "It's time to start moving things forward."

"What happens now?" I asked curiously.

"I'll need to send you back of course; I only kept you here so long so you'd befriend Liz like I said earlier," she stated.

"How did you know I'd even meet Liz?" I asked, thinking how odd this all was.

"I sent you right to her, you met her merely moments after you woke up did you not?"

"So that's why I woke up in that alley?" I asked, with an uplifted mood that came with solving a bit more of the mysteries that had bothered me since I had awoken.

She nodded in confirmation before saying, "shall we get back to the topic?"

"Right, so what exactly do we need to do besides sending me back?"

"We need to send Liz in after you, of course" she said as though it was completely obvious and we should have realized it ourselves.

"Send me where?" Liz asked rather shakily, she still hadn't quite gotten over the fact that our fate rested on her shoulders.

"Into Bella's dimension of course, where else would you go?" Stephanie exclaimed, again surprised and also more than slightly annoyed that we hadn't figured this out on our own.

"I don't know." Liz muttered glumly, then as if struck by something, suddenly sat up with a look of excitement evident on her face.

"You mean I'm going to the Twilight world? I'm meeting the Cullens?" She squealed as bad as Alice on a shopping trip.

"Err…yes you are" Stephanie replied with an amused expression that matched my own. Liz was nearly hyperventilating by this point.

"O.M.G! The Cullens! I get to meet Edward! What do I say?!" she gushed franticly, jumping in her seat, pausing only for a moment to see me glaring at her.

Edward was mine.

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly.

I decided to let it go, knowing that she had no chance with Edward anyway. After all, I was his wife and his child's mother. Try to top that!

"As I was saying…" Stephanie drawled, interrupting the staring contest between Liz and I. "I'll decide when I send in Liz. You don't worry about it, and no matter what happens- don't freak. Got it? I won't wait long to send her, she'll be in shortly after you, since she needs some time for the Cullens to get to know and trust her."

"Can't we just avoid the confrontation? Skip Irina seeing Renesmee in the first place?" I asked hopefully. I couldn't see why we were going into so much trouble, for something that with a bit more planning could be entirely prevented. However much I liked Liz, I _really _couldn't see how she could be a help in this. She was only human.

"No, otherwise the other observer will see that something's up and set back the time himself, and all my work will be for nothing. Don't you dare try to change anything important before the confrontation, missy," Stephanie warned, her finger pointed at me.

"Fine I won't," I groaned. "But I don't like this one bit, how can you be so sure that Liz of all people will solve this mess?" I said, wanting to hear Stephanie's reassurance, or even better- Proof. I should have known that was too much to hope for. Dealing with mythical creatures who are certain they're better than you can really be a pain sometimes. Edward's stubborn resistance to see me become a vampire was proof of that.

Seeing her frown a bit at my choice of words, I quickly added,"No offence, Liz."

"No it's fine, I see your point," Liz muttered bitterly.

Stephanie shook her head at the both of us. "I just can't tell you, if I do it might change things and ruin everything."

"Well that's really comforting and informative," I heard Liz grumble.

"Is it just me or are we going in circles?" I asked, pulling my hair, becoming extremely frustrated.

"Yes we are, how about end this discussion?" Stephanie offered.

"Sure. Whatever. Just send me back already will you? Edward's probably pulled out all his hair, worrying about my whereabouts."

"Oh don't worry about that. They haven't even noticed you were gone," Stephanie reassured.

"What? What are you talking about?" I hissed at her. But a sudden wave of nausea hit me and I crouched over my chair, holding the armrest for support.

"Don't worry so much, Bella darling, you'll see what I meant in a moment." Stephanie said calmly, as though I wasn't about to pass out on the floor. Or worse, throw up all over the both of them from this extreme motion sickness. How was that possible? I wasn't even moving! My mind cried at me trying to find a logical explanation. I hadn't recalled it being this bad the first time. Though I suppose, compared to the transformation, at the time it seemed like nothing more than a mere dizziness.

Black dots began racing before my eyes, and my vision got blurry. I'm going home I managed to think, before the darkness took over.

* * *

**A\N- I know it's short, and you're probably tired of all these conversations with Steph, but bear with me! Next chapter we get to Edward! Pinky promise! LOL.**

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	10. Waking Up Again

**Chapter 10-**

** Waking Up Again**

I opened my eyes with a great sense of Déjà vu. Once again I had been transported and had awoken in a place entirely different from the one I had been in before. Only this time, I wasn't in an alley in some unknown place. I was lying on my back on the hospital bed in Carlisle's office. I was home.

But these thoughts all took second place, because at the moment I was much too absorbed with something else.

Unlike the first time in which I had been surprised to see everything look as it always did, meaning that I was still human, this time I was surprised by the clarity of my vision. Everything looked completely different now.

I could see every little speck of dust, spiraling in circles in different places in the room. I could see every beam of light coming through the window, and every color of the rainbow in the white light. I could see every miniscule crinkle on the sheet I was lying on. I knew what this meant of course- I was a vampire now. The burn in my throat was proof of that.

I could hear the steady breathing of someone beside me. For a moment, I was frightened. My body tensed in anticipation of a fight, the result of an almost animalistic instinct I didn't know I had.

But then, before I could do anything rash, my mind made the connection. I could almost hear the mental click when the pieces were put together. It was Edward.

Faster than I thought possible, I was suddenly in sitting position, and facing the center of my universe.

I had thought him merely beautiful before. I had thought I knew and recognized every plane and feature in his smooth and stone-like face. I could have been blind for all I thought I knew.

From the tips of his tousled bronze hair to the rest of his perfectly sculpted body, he was more beautiful than I had ever imagined. With my new enhanced vision I could finally see him clearly. He was the most god-like creature on earth- a true Adonis.

And he was all mine. How did I ever get so lucky? What deed of good did I do, that made me deserve such good fortune? That made me deserving of him?

He was looking at me with concern, and worry. Typical Edward.

"How do you feel, love?" He asked cautiously. Like his looks, his voice sounded even better now. What I had perceived as a human as the most beautiful, musical voice I'd ever heard, was now so much more.

I was so entranced by him, that I almost forgot to answer.

"I feel…" My voice caught, as I was shocked from hearing myself. If Edward's voice was music, then mine was ringing bells. "Amazing," I finished my sentence.

He smiled widely, obviously thrilled with my answer. "Really?" He asked in a happy, yet disbelieving tone. As if it were impossible that something would go right for a change.

In the back of my mind I recalled Stephanie, Liz, and the entire mess I'd been informed of merely a few hours ago. It was astounding to think so much had changed in so little time.

Maybe the thought that it was impossible for things to go right for us hadn't been as far-fetched as I originally thought.

"Really," I confirmed, with a smile of my own.

"Your throat," he remembered suddenly. "You must be burning," he said in a sad tone. Completely forgetting what I told him only moments before.

Truthfully, the burn wasn't so bad. I mean it was, now that he had mentioned it and caused me to focus on it. But it hadn't been moments ago. I was too distracted by him to really notice it.

"It's manageable," I disagreed with him. There were certainly more important things to fret over at the moment; one of them being my daughter. Being away from her for so long had made her seem more like a fantasy or a distant dream. The fact my only memory of her was blurry and weak, as it was seen through human eyes, was not helping my case the slightest. I feared I was forgetting her.

He looked at me with surprise. "Are you sure? The burn should be anything but manageable right now."

"I don't care for my stupid blood lust, Edward; I need to see my daughter." I informed him a bit harshly. It was pointless, but I couldn't help the mothering instinct to go check on my child and make sure she was safe.

He looked uncomfortable now, as if about to deliver me news he knew I didn't want to hear. "Love, I understand your worry, truly I do. But, she's part human- blood courses through her veins. We need to make sure you're completely under control before you see her, you wouldn't want her to be in danger, would you?"

I let out a large sigh. "Alright, I'll go hunting with you first," I tried to appease him.

"Good." He said with a smile. "Now knock off the faces. I was under the impression you've always wanted to see me hunt?" He teased.

"Maybe," I said, pretending to be thoughtful. "But that was then. I'm not as dense now."

"You aren't?" Edward asked in mock shock, his hand on his chest.

"Oh, shut up, you!" I laughed, and slapped his chest. Edward stumbled a bit backwards, while I looked at him in surprise. I tilted my head and stared at him, "I pushed you? I'm strong enough to _push_ you?" I asked disbelievingly.

He chuckled at my face. "You did, and you are. I'm certain you're strong enough to do much more than just push me. Though I can see why the idea of being stronger than me seems surreal. I'm just that awesome." He said with a smirk. Note to self: Non-angsty Edward has an ego. Add deflating it to To-do list.

"But don't think that will go unpunished!" He warned, with a devious smile.

At the sound of his laughter I awoke from my stupor. "I look forward to it," I answered him cheekily. Inwardly I was gloating that I was the cause of his suddenly dark eyes, and hungry expression. A kind of hunger very different from the one we shared for blood.

* * *

**A\N- Ah! I'm so sorry I didn't update earlier! I totally forgot! High school's pretty demanding and I already have tests next week, but I promise to try to be better about updates! If you see I'm taking a while, feel free to PM me, or leave a review asking what's going on with the story.**

**So we finally got to Edward! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter -sorry in advance for those who think it's too short- I hope I didn't dissapoint anyone! **

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	11. A Nightmare from Hell

**Chapter 11- **

**A Nightmare from Hell**

My hunt was a nightmare. The kind that, as a human, would have left me screaming, and enduring sleepless nights for weeks.

It had started innocently enough at first. I was nervous of course, but I was also excited in a strange way. I saw it as taking another step closer into Edward's world.

We had decided to go alone. A decision I regret most deeply now. Perhaps, if another Cullen had accompanied us, things would have ended differently… But no. I mustn't think like that. What's done is done, and I can't change the past. Perhaps Stephanie could for me, but that's out of my hands. If she hadn't already turned the time back, then there must have been a reason for this.

Had she known such a thing would happen? I sincerely hoped not, because if she did- I would never be able to trust her again.

Edward had led me out far in the forest. I wasn't sure where we had ended up; it had been so much fun just running at first, that we hadn't really noticed our path. I think we were around the Canadian border, but again I can't tell for sure. I don't think Edward knew either.

After much goofing around and teasing each other, Edward announced that we should get started, if we ever wanted to get home.

He had told me to stand still, close my eyes, and trust my instincts. So I did.

I used my newly enhanced sense of smell to track down a herd of deer. They had smelled most unappetizing, but I told myself to get over it and try my best.

I was only mid-way tracking the herd when everything changed, and the previously fun hunt had taken a horrid twist.

All it took was a scent. The most delicious and mouth watering scent in the world. I could feel the pull to the scent- it was tempting, and taunting- teasing me. I wanted it. No, I NEEDED it- like a human would need air to breathe.

It caused the mild burn in my throat to turn from small and steady, to an all-compassing, raging fire. It consumed me entirely.

I immediately broke off from my tracks; the unappetizing scent of the deer didn't hold a candle to this new one. If anything, it smelled even worse now in comparison. I began running, faster than I had ever run before, towards the new scent.

My mind was all but a hazy fog of pure need at that point. I couldn't think straight. All I knew was that I had to get to the scent. Nothing else mattered.

I was too far off to even care where Edward was. My beloved mate, I didn't give him a second thought. Only that scent was on my mind, clouding any voice of reason.

The closer I got, the more potent the smell became. The more potent the smell became, the faster I would run and the closer I would get. It was a never-ending circle that could only be stopped by finding the tantalizing scent.

Eventually, I reached the scent. The chase couldn't go on forever, and I was fast, desperate to reach my destination.

In the middle of a clearing in the woods, stood a human. Of course. Any question as to what the source of the scent was, had immediately vanished the moment I saw her.

I didn't question myself for a moment. In that haze of need, the one thing I knew in absolute certainty was that I was a preditor and she was my prey. Drinking her blood was the most obvious thing in the world. Why doubt it? She was food and I was hungry. End of story.

A hundredth of a second upon seeing her, my mouth was already upon her throat. I began drinking from her immediately, as having her so close to me, and doing anything but that, was an impossibility.

The sweet, warm blood was gushing in my mouth, and I was drinking fast- unable to get enough.

I didn't get to enjoy her for very long though. Only two seconds after biting her, something began pulling me away. I tried to fight it. But it was hard since I was unwilling to let her go.

Why wouldn't the unknown force leave me alone? Couldn't it see that this blood was _**mine**__? _Couldn't it find its own?

A mere second later, it had succeed in its task, and managed to pry away the girl from me. I immediately spun, and crouched in a defensive position. MINE.

It was Edward. This fact helped reduce the haze in my brain only barely. I was still prepared to fight him. In my mind, he was trying to steal _my_ blood. Mine.

"Stop breathing, Bella!" He yelled desperately at me. It was just that desperation in his voice that made me obey.

Once I did, my mind cleared marginally. Without that tempting scent, I suddenly had a will of my own. It was hard, but I managed to think of what was happening instead of remembering the taste of the blood in my mouth…

I recalled what I had done, and was shocked by my own actions. I never thought this would have happened. I remembered that in the book, I had managed to stop myself before it was too late. Everything was going differently now.

How could I have let this happen? I had left my guard down. I hadn't been careful, since I had thought I had nothing to worry about. If anything, I had believed I would be impressing Edward now, with my ability of self restraint that had been praised so highly in the book.

I knew Stephanie had changed the ending, but to what extent? I had thought she had meant only the result of the confrontation, but now I was beginning to doubt that assessment. Or perhaps, was it my knowledge of the future that had made it change? Could it be that in my confidence of myself –because of the books- I had become over confident and left myself open to failure?

Well it was too late now. I looked at myself and saw blood splattered all over the pretty dress Alice had put me in. I was a monster, and I had killed a human.

But no, something was out of place. Because there was _still_ a heart beat and a moment later, there was also a scream. A scream of pain. I hadn't killed her- she was changing.

I knew the horror I was feeling was clear on my face. Edward approached me, now that he saw the reason return in my eyes.

He held me tightly and reassured me, "It'll be alright, it's not your fault. Nobody was supposed to be here. I should've checked…" I cut him off.

"No. Don't take this on yourself. It is _my_ fault and _I _will deal with the consequences."

He fixed me in a firm tone, "We'll deal with it together."

I nodded at him, and stepped out of his embrace. It was time to deal with the consequences. I needed to see the person who I had damned to this life, in my haze of selfish need.

I turned around, and gasped. Because I _knew_ the girl who was writhing and screaming in pain on the forest floor.

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It was Liz.

* * *

**A/N- And the plot thickens! Don't worry- everything happens for a reason. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'd love to hear your opinion! Next chapter there's going to be something a little special, so trust me when I say- You want the excerpt!**

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT TO ALL REVIEWERS! **


	12. Liz's Side of Things

**Chapter 12-**

** Liz's Side of Things**

I remember agony, feeling every cell in my body go through searing torture. I remember every bit of the never ending pain that was thrust upon me, disregarding my opinion. However, even though I felt as if on fire, my mind was perfectly clear. As if the person screaming in pain was another, far away that had nothing to do with me.

As I lay burning on the ground, undergoing the transformation from human to immortal, I couldn't help but think of the events that brought me to this point.

It's an odd thing, finding out that what you once believed is fantasy, is in fact the solid truth. That myth is actually reality. Who would have thought?

My life was as normal as it gets. I went to school, had friends, and lived the life of "just another teenager". I was happy with my life at present, and thought I had a general idea of how my future looked as well.

I couldn't have been more mistaken.

It all started with a bad choice. I never should have walked alone that night, but how could I have known that danger lurked so closely in the shadows? The answer is simple- I couldn't have. And so, I went.

Looking back, I suppose I could have gotten off worse. I should be considered lucky, escaping with only a number of cuts and bruises. Many have found much less fortunate ends than I, under those same circumstances. But the fact remains that I do not fully know what happened that eventful night. I can only guess.

I feel as though I'm missing parts of the puzzle. During her stay, Bella told me what transpired between the men, while I had been knocked out. It didn't make much sense to me. There had apparently been a lot of talk about a boss of sorts. I didn't think it was a common thing for gangsters to leave random people for their leaders. And it made even less sense, that this boss wanted me specifically. How could this unknown person even be aware of my existence? I had nothing to do with the shady parts of town.

And then there's Bella. She herself is another story entirely. Because poor Bella I found on the street, after she saved me, is now apparently _THE _Bella, who I know everything about, beside the fact that she actually exists.

I didn't know the truth at first. For about a month or so, she was just a nice girl, who desperately needed a place to stay. I had befriended her at that time, and we had grown rather close. It was only after we had left the safety of my home, that truths made themselves known. And boy, what truths I'd heard…

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Lisa Vivian Hunter. I was born in 1997, to two "loving" hormonal teenagers.

My biological mother and father were the school's perfect couple. The head cheerleader, and the captain of the basketball team.

I was nothing more than a _mistake _in their perfect lives, and they wanted nothing to do with me. The only reason I ever knew so much about them, was because the girl's mother, technically my biological grandmother, was a social care worker who dealt with kids like me frequently. She used to check up on my every now and then when I was young and answered my questions when I was older. I've never met, nor felt the need to meet my biological mother or father. As far as I'm concerned, they're dead to me.

Thankfully, I was lucky enough to be adopted by a kind woman, who wanted children, but was infertile. She never married, nor adopted others, and we've lived so far a peaceful, normal life together, in the beautiful city of Irvine, CA.

Anyway, I'm getting off track here. As I was explaining before, my life has drastically changed recently. And most of it is due to a book. Yeah, you heard me right- I blamed a book.

Now you're probably thinking that I mean that I was _influenced_ by a book, or something else along those lines. Allow me to squash any ideas of that right now. That would be _sensible and rational _thinking. Nothing of what I am about to tell you, is either of those. Prepare yourselves… Here it comes.

My favorite book has come to life.

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Now, now! Don't dismiss me quite yet! I assure you I am perfectly serious. And to answer your question- No, I am not a mental patient in a psychiatric ward who has been given a piece of paper and a pen. Really, people? Have some faith!

I won't give you all the petty details, but basically it goes something like this- I met the heroin of a famous novel, and invited her to stay at my place, unknowing who she really was.

About a month later, we decided to go out on a road trip. She wanted to go home, and I wanted to leave mine. I convinced her to go to a book signing, and met there the author of the Twilight series, who did –in my opinion- nothing short of kidnapping us.

What I couldn't know of course, was that the book signing we had attended was in fact of _her _book. Or rather, of her life. And said author, was in fact a creature far from human.

Getting freaked out yet? I know I had then.

Suspicious yet curious, we let the woman lead us. Knowing what I know now, I realize that Bella had superior motives to trusting the woman. She wanted answers and I tagged along, blinded by the trust in that I had thought I'd known this woman. How can you distrust your idol?

It was then I heard the truth for the very first time. That my friend was a fiction character. But she was not created by the author; rather the author spied on her and wrote a story of her life. Technically speaking, the book should be categorized as a biography and not fiction. Of course, if the author had done that, the world would think she's mad.

As if that's not enough, she then began telling us tales, worthy of a soap opera. How she changed the ending, how the characters died, how she meddled with the outcome and failed, causing the other side to gain a great advantage. And lastly, how once again she was trying to save the day. Would she never stop?

Don't get me wrong- I don't _want _any of them to die, but now she's dragged _me _into this mess. Why did it have to be me of all people?

She's trying to turn me into a savior. But what she doesn't realize is that I'm not a savior. I can't be. I'm only an ordinary girl.

It was with that thought in mind, that I opened my now blood red eyes and waited with trepidation for what was yet to come.

* * *

**A\N- So, I tried giving a shot at writing Liz's POV, but frankly I don't think that went over well. Liz is…difficult for me to write. Then again, they say practice makes perfect so you may see some more Liz chapters soon enough. Hopefully, they'll be better than this one.**

**Anyway, tell me what your thoughts on the chapter are. Awesome, horrible…? You tell me. **

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**

*For those who don't know, I can't send you the excerpt if you aren't signed in. If you review as a guest, then there's no excerpt. Sorry!


	13. Back to Bella

**Chapter 13- **

**Back to Bella**

How could I have let this happen?

That was the question that had been haunting me for days. Of course, it wasn't the only one. In fact, it was only the most basic form of my mental torture.

In my now infallible mind, I could think of many, many things at once. That's what it was made for. However, at the moment, my mind circled only on one thing. Just the one.

Liz.

Why did this have to happen to her, of all people? Why couldn't I have had more control? Why couldn't things have happened differently? Why did she have to be _there_? Why, why, _why?!_

I was torturing myself over this. I knew I was. I knew Edward was downright sick with worry for me. I knew I was hurting him, acting like this, but I couldn't stop. Even though I knew it wouldn't help.

I understood what Edward meant now. Back then, when he was trying to convince me to stay human. I know now why he thought that he was, and is, a monster.

I do not regret my own choice to become a vampire. I know that if I had to choose, I still would have done things the exact same way. I would have endured the torture for him, again, just because I couldn't live without him.

But I was _agonizing_ over taking Liz's choice. I didn't know if she wanted this. Just because I had, didn't mean anybody else would have done the same. I was afraid she would hate me with a passion once she woke. Not unlike how Rose hated Carlisle for doing the same for her.

And Carlisle at least did it to save her life! I took hers out of pure selfishness, and utter lack of impulse control. I was disgusted with myself.

After telling the rest of the Cullens what had happened, and feeling my heart sink at the disappointment in Carlisle's eyes, we had a long family meeting deciding what to do with her. _I_ knew Liz had to stay with us, but the others didn't. Luckily, since Liz was a newborn, and since I had turned her that made her our responsibility, it was basically a given that Liz would stay with us, at least until such a time where she would learn control.

Since I had been the one to turn her, I thought it would be my responsibility to at least explain about her new life. Although for all intents and purposes, she knew as much as I did about vampires.

However, Carlisle disagreed with me. He claimed that as I was only a few hours old at most, I couldn't be faulted with lack of control, and therefore wasn't guilty.

He claimed that it was Edward's responsibility to make sure that there were no humans about before he "set me loose".

In true Edward fashion, he immediately took the blame on himself, even though I still thought otherwise.

So I came to a compromise and it was decided that Edward and I would be the ones to explain about vampires.

I listened to her beating heart, as it's pulse was quickening, until it was so fast a human wouldn't have been able to separate each beat. I knew that meant the end was close. I wasn't mistaken.

Two seconds later, her heart stopped. As her eyes were still closed, she looked like a corpse at the moment. Nothing more than a pale, dead, unmoving body. A beautiful one, yes, but a corpse no less, I thought with an involuntary shudder.

I realized with a start, that this must have been what I looked like to Edward, only three days ago. She was lying on the very same hospital bed Carlisle had arranged for me during my brief and unexpected pregnancy.

The thought of Renesmee filled me with great sadness. The others did not trust me to come close to her. They were certainly justified in thinking so.

Turning my head to the side, I saw Edward look at my worriedly. He took my hand in a show of support.

I realized I'd begun pitying myself, and immediately put a stop to all that nonsense. This wasn't about me, this was about Liz.

Like Edward was helping me now, I would help her. We would pull through this newborn stage together, with the support of the entire family. No one else needed to get hurt.

I would make sure of that.

* * *

When I first recognized Liz, my mind had gone into a state of shock and panic. However, like I mentioned before, my mind was now that of a vampire's.

That meant that I could think of many things at once. So, while a large part of me was focused on panicking over what I had done, a different part of me –that was thinking ahead- was panicking over Edward's gift.

While _my _mind was closed to him, Liz's was probably NOT. And that meant that if she ever got to thinking about my stay with her, Twilight, or Stephanie and what she said, Edward would find out about Stephanie's "brilliant plan" and once again, all would be for naught.

This was a SERIOUS hole in her plans! How on earth did we miss this before? So much for the plan being fool-proof! If he would find out, Aro would too, and we would all die! Again!

I _wouldn't _let that happen. I couldn't.

The moment I had come to the realization, I was swept with a great urge to make sure that Liz's mind would be protected.

Edward had once told me that he had a theory, in which, my silent mind was a gift like his and Alice's. A gift that would be enhanced, once I would become a vampire.

Well I was one now. Perhaps I would be able to protect Liz's mind as well? Aro thought said gift was strong, maybe even strong enough to use on others?

Actually I knew my gift was strong enough to use on others! I remembered reading of my power in the final book. Although, Stephanie had admitted she'd changed the ending, so it was possible I couldn't do that at all.

Nonetheless, I had to try.

I imagined my head was surrounded by a strong, armor-like metal that had no chinks and was impenetrable. I tried to take it off, and put it around Liz's head instead.

I pushed and pushed in my mind, but it was as if the metal wouldn't budge. It was heavy, and I couldn't lift it.

Realizing I was getting no-where, I tried changing my approach. Instead of metal armor, I pictured a soap bubble in its place.

I pushed and huffed, until the soap bubble started getting bigger. When it was nearing twice its original size, it suddenly parted and I now had two soap bubbles.

I guided the new one over to Liz's head, and soon it enveloped her head entirely. When she moved, the soap bubble moved with her. Somehow, I just knew that it had worked, and that she was now safe from Edward.

We were safe.

* * *

_She's fine. She doesn't hate me. She's fine. _

That was the mantra that kept going in my head. Liz had just awoken, and the first thing she'd said had been, "Damn, I'm thirsty. Can someone get me a Coke?"

At first I had been surprised. It only increased when Edward began explaining to her what she was now. The entire time she had been looking at him with big eyes, and kept a somewhat disbelieving face.

I didn't get it. Why was she acting like she'd just found out about vampires? Then it hit me-

Liz was a smart girl, and had figured out a few things by herself while undergoing the change. For one, she realized that she couldn't act like she knew all about vampires. It would look suspicious, and although possible, highly unlikely. The Cullens wouldn't easily trust her. And according to Stephanie, that was half her mission right there.

With three days to chew it over, she'd probably come up by now with an entire story to explain her situation.

Come to think of it why _was _she at that spot in the woods? Did Stephanie send her there? I made a mental note to ask Liz about it later.

I tuned back to Edward and Liz's conversation just in time to hear him explain that she would be living with us for as long as she was a newborn, and once that phase was over, she could decide if she wanted to stay with us, or go her own way as a nomad.

For some reason, this set off some bells. I couldn't quite grasp why Liz's staying with us should make a difference, but I felt like this information was somehow important. I decided to chew on it later.

For now, I'd leave my questions and try to help Liz. God knows she'd need it.

* * *

**A\N- Let me explain the difference in the mental shields thing. I know Stephanie did it differently! But honestly, if I did everything just like Steph did then this story would be really boring and predictable. **

**Basically her power is mental. All Twilight's gifted vampires control their gift with minds. Her gift is how she imagines it to be, like it said in the books, every power is different because no one thinks the same way. **

**That means that Bella's gift is how she thinks it is, notice that her seeing it differently affects her shield's powers. As metal armor, the shield was strong but not movable. It was transfixed in place, contrasting to how the soap bubble was very flexible and movable. Also, her first approach was to take it off herself entirely, and as Stephanie so graciously explained in the books- It comes in contrast with her instinct for self preservation.**

**The Bella in Twilight created the shield the way it was because she wanted to protect, and it was large because she wanted to protect many. This Bella created the shield to close off Liz's mind. That was also why she immediately thought of the closed, heavy metal. **

**This Bella also has different experiences than Twilight Bella. She's already aware of a great danger to the people she loves and herself. That's another thing that makes her think differently, and so it affects her gift.**

**And to ilovetwilight2012- I couldn't send you the excerpt because you disabled the option for PM-ing. Just wanted to make sure you knew I ****didn't forget!**

**On another note- We're so close guys! Can we PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make it to 100 reviews? I promise to dedicate the next chapter (which will be a Liz chapter btw) to the person who writes #100! You can do it!**

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	14. Fabrications

**Chapter 14-**

** Fabrications**

Have you ever felt like you were living in a dream? As though any moment, you will suddenly wake up, and realize that your reality is completely different from the one you had just been in, because your own reality had just become too unbelievable to be true?

That's what I felt like when I was looking into the eyes of the vampire, that I –along with nearly every female on earth- had been fantasizing about every since S. Meyer published her first book. Well maybe staring at him would be more accurate…

The vampire in question gave me a reassuring smile as he began explaining what had happened to me. I already knew what he was telling me of course, being the crazed fan that I am, but his melodic voice, and my desire to hear him speak all day are that kept my mouth shut. Who was I, to dare to interrupt such a voice?

Of course, I also knew I couldn't just tell him "Yeah, yeah, I already know. Where are the rest of the Cullens? I want to meet Alice, and Emmet, and Carlisle, and Rosalie, and…" You get the picture. He would get suspicious, as would the rest of them, and that was really that last thing I needed.

That was my rational side. It was currently winning, but it was getting increasingly difficult to control my fan girl side, that just wanted to start jumping up and down and exclaim at everything I saw like, "Hey! Here's the kitchen that nobody uses! And here Bella had a paper cut! And here's Alice's closet! WOW IT'S HUGE! I want one too!"

As you see, it's NOT a pretty picture. So I held my mouth shut, and nodded with big disbelieving eyes –which wasn't very hard to do considering where I was- at Edward's words.

We were in some sort of office, and I was currently sitting on a random hospital bed in the middle of the room. Why was this here? Oh right, Bella's pregnancy. Oooh! Maybe I'll get to meet Renesmee too! That would be so awesome!

"Sadly, that also means that we'll have to fake your death so nobody will search for you. You won't be able to visit your family either. I know this is hard, but it'll get better in time, and hopefully you'll come around to accepting this life eventually." Edward said, and looked carefully at me to see my reaction to the news.

Knowing I couldn't act for shit, I'd known I'd have to come up with a good excuse for why this didn't appear to bother me. Thankfully, I'd already thought of one during my transformation, expecting them to question me.

"That shouldn't be a problem. My parents are already dead, and my foster mom would likely throw a party if she found out I was dead." I felt bad about lying, but knew that I had to explain the lack of parents somehow.

Edward studied me carefully, before responding carefully, "I'm sure she isn't that bad."

I chuckled grimly, trying to enforce the –in my opinion- pitiful act. "Actually, she really is." Hit by sudden inspiration, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and also explain why I'd been in the woods at the time.

"I've escaped from there. I was on the run when you, err… 'Found me'. Unfortunately, I've never been a very good navigator. Got myself lost on the second day, that's why I was in the woods." I said with a strained chuckle, hoping my story sounded at least somewhat believable.

Edward gave me a searching look, as if trying to see if I was telling the truth. Why was he thinking this through so much? All he had to do was read my mind and… Oh crap.

Crap, crap, crap! This is bad. This is very bad. Edward can read minds. Edward can friggin' READ minds! What the hell's the point of lying anyway? What are the odds I have some mental shield power like Bella? Probably one to a million!

But then, why wasn't he accusing me of lying already? Come to think of it, I've already thought of some pretty impossible-to-explain things that I really shouldn't know about at all in the past few minutes. And even more important stuff that Edward most certainly should NOT hear during my transformation.

So why wasn't he freaking out? Or demanding answers?

Was it possible that my mind really WAS silent to him as Bella's? It certainly appeared so… Unless… Unless it wasn't ME who had a silent mind rather, Bella was using her power!

But according to the books Bella didn't figure out her power until much, much later, didn't she? Ugh, this makes no sense!

I then remembered that THIS Bella was different than 'Book Bella'. THIS Bella had read the books. She knew of her power's capabilities. She must have already learned how to use her shield to protect me.

In that case, Edward must be going mad, I thought with a mental chuckle. Imagine finding yet ANOTHER closed mind, after nearly a century where he could read everyone.

Having two who were blocked to him was probably a sensation! I thought to myself with a giggle.

"Even so," Edward began saying. "We'll fake your death just in case. Better be safe than sorry, we don't want to find ourselves on the run because your foster mother might decide to report your disappearance…"

I shrugged. "Do whatever. Just don't expect a funeral to be held for me. I've got no one left."

Edward gave me a sad smile, and made me feel guilty for lying. So what if it was necessary! That didn't make this any easier.

Bella finally entered the conversation. "So… Who's up for dinner?"

* * *

**A\N- Well, we didn't make it to 100, unfortunately, but I'm sure we'll pass it now :) In any case, I want to thank all my readers out there for sticking to the story. You guys are amazing!**

**Sorry for the short chapter after the longish no-updates period. Life in high school is challenging and all that... XD. Next chapter will be much longer, I can promise you that much. **

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT FROM THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	15. Meet The Family

**Chapter 15- **

**Meet The Family**

Dinner was, thankfully, not too much of a messy ordeal. Not to say that it wasn't, as I could hardly be counted as an expertise in the area of hunting, but it was not nearly as bad as I had originally feared.

When Bella had asked if we wanted to go hunt, I thought it would be an ideal time to speak with her in private, far away from the others incredibly inconvenient enhanced hearing. We certainly had a _lot_ to cover.

Unfortunately, my plans were waived off before they had even gotten the chance of fully forming. It appeared that in light of recent events –AKA my unplanned for transformation- none of the Cullens thought it wise to send off two newborns on their own to go hunt. Who knew what would end up in our metaphorical plates?

So it was decided that I would be sent off with Bella, Emmet and Jasper to go hunt. Bella, because she was a newborn like me, needed to hunt every few days in order to be somewhat in control of her thirst.

Jasper was in the lead of our little hunting trip, since he had experience dealing with newborns, and the rest figured he would be able to deal with the two of us better than Edward had with Bella.

Emmet was there as back up for Jasper, in the case of need of brutal force. Jasper may be a skilled fighter, but at the moment, Bella and I were much stronger than he. Besides, Emmet was good to have around for breaking the ice. And beside Bella, the others just didn't know I knew so much about them I already felt at ease.

They figured I'd be more than a little nervous, and while that was completely true, I was nervous for very different reasons.

Between freaking out every other moment or so that they were on to me –even though the truth was so absurd, that even I had to admit it would be near impossible to guess- I was also trying to come to terms with what happened, and trying not to think too much about my adoptive mother in a different dimension, who had probably realized I was missing by now.

Yep, definitely trying hard not to think about her. The problem was, that me and my Mom were really close, seeing as it was just the two of us that built up our entire family. Mom's parents were never around, and she generally just didn't speak of them. And if Mom had any siblings, well, she had certainly done a very good job of keeping them away.

So I knew it would be extremely painful for her when she realized that I wasn't coming back, since she literally didn't have anyone else.

I would have been just as devastated, had I not come to the conclusion that, for now, I was needed _here_. There would be a time to grieve properly, assuming I truly never returned.

I was also desperately clinging to the hope that when this all ended, and if I succeeded, I would be able to go back to her. Preferably back to the same moment I was sent off- if such a thing was even possible.

That was probably my main motivation to succeed in this impossible task. More even, than merely doing it for my favorite not-quite-fiction-anymore characters.

Said characters which I was about to meet. The thought alone filled me with excitement. I could feel the giddiness bubbling in me, and tried my best not to squeal. As it was, Jasper sent an odd look in my direction, probably wondering what the hell was wrong with me.

Thankfully, they had yet to explain their powers to me, so he couldn't ask me why my emotions were so out of control. This was a very good thing too, since I couldn't come up with a good excuse anyway.

We were now nearing the large house –mansion, more like- in a fast run, and I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips. This was the first time I had seen the house in the darkness, with its lights on. It was a sight to behold- Esme sure knew how to design.

The house was located in the midst of the woods, between the many pine and oak trees. It had two-stories, with the first painted black, and the second a deep wooden brown. The house seemed as though made partly out of glass, since there were many large windows, which allowed me to see into the home from outside, in the rooms where the lights were on.

The lights caused the house to emit a strong glow, which made it seem like a warm and safe haven, in contrast to the surrounding darkness.

Furthermore, with my enhanced sight I could notice details from the distance- I could recognize the people in the rooms and see what they were doing from where I was. A human would have only been able to see smudges of colors, assuming they could see the house from here in the first place.

On the bottom floor, I could see Esme sitting in the living room sketching something on a large, white drawing pad. On the coffee table in front of her were scattered many cloths in various colors, and a few squares which I couldn't see the purpose of from this angle.

In the same room, there was a grand piano, on which Edward was currently playing. The soothing notes and calming melody drifted to us, as if welcoming us home, getting stronger with each step closer.

On the top floor there were not as many windows, but I thought I saw a blur for a moment, passing through one of those that were in the hall.

I could hear a faint metallic noise, of pieces hitting each other from somewhere along the western side of the building. Upon closer inspection, I could see the shape of a large garage door, from where the noise was emitting. I assumed it was Rosalie who was inside- probably tinkering with one of the cars.

The brief longing glance Emmet sent in that same direction confirmed my thoughts.

The blur I had seen before suddenly appeared in the living room- it was Alice. She was speaking fast, her lips moving in nearly indecipherable movements. While she was talking, Esme stood up and began clearing the coffee table, tidying up and straightening the already perfect room.

As she was working, Carlisle and Rosalie joined the others in the living room. He began talking to Esme, saying something that obviously relaxed the stressed woman, while Rosalie made herself comfortable in one of the white couches.

We arrived at the front door a moment later.

Emmet entered first, walking casually and relaxed, as though unaware of the slight tension in the air. He greeted the others loudly and happily before bustling over to the spot in the couch beside Rosalie, pausing only long enough to give her a large smooch, to which she responded enthusiastically, although swatted him playfully once they separated.

At least they seemed to be in a good mood.

The same could not be said for Jasper who, although not unhappy, did not seem as care-free or relaxed as the others. He entered quietly, greeting the others with a nod and Alice with a kiss on the forehead. However, instead of acting casually in our presence, he stood rigidly in front of Alice as though ready to protect her in case something went wrong.

It seemed I would have to earn his trust before he would be calm around me. I was merely a newborn to him- violent and a ticking bomb- as though it was only a matter of time before I would snap.

Carlisle and Esme stood in a welcoming position, with Esme smiling reassuringly at me. Although the stance was clearly positive, it did nothing to settle my nerves. If anything, seeing the family all together only served to make me even more nervous.

I didn't know how to act, or what to say! How do you greet what you always thought of as little more than figments of imagination?

As though aware of my distress, Bella sent me a comforting smile that succeeded in calming me. I already came to terms that she was real, so having the rest of them be real couldn't be that hard to accept, could it?

I suddenly realized that the music coming from the piano had stopped, and Edward was standing near Bella, hugging her from behind. She twisted in his arms, before whispering something in his ear that caused him to grin.

I smiled slightly at the picture, and felt how my nerves were slowly disappearing. In that moment, I could see why the unique coven truly considered themselves as a family. Although they each had different personalities, they all seemed to just _fit _together perfectly. As though they were destined to be together, each one a different puzzle piece, that only when all combined was the picture whole.

It was this realization that made me determined to pull through with the seemingly impossible task that I was landed with. For the first time since finding out about my role, I was not terrified of the unknown.

I would face this challenge head on, and help this family. Not only because it would be the right thing to do, but because I _wanted _to do everything in my power to protect them.

The Cullens wouldn't die. Not on my watch. I would make sure of that.

I smiled warmly to them all in greeting, and felt how a large part of the previously tense air disappeared.

Those who had worried this would be more of a confrontation than a family gathering, with accusations flying in the air –thinking that they'd be coming from me most likely, over my recent transformation- seemed to understand that I wasn't planning on being hostile, or even unpleasant.

Far from it really, I thought with a smirk. For a moment I amused myself with the thought of how they would react if I'd unleash my full admiration on them.

They'd probably have heart attacks if such a thing were possible for vampires.

Oh well.

* * *

**A\N- So sorry for not updating earlier! I won't bother you with excuses...**

**Thank you to all who reviewed! (And those who read silently) We've passed 100! I'm so proud. LOL. This chapter is dedicated to you guys :)**

**SO, moving on, who's seen Breaking Dawn part 2 yet? I'm going tommorow... :) **

**AS ALWAYS, I'll BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	16. Privacy? Ha, yeah right

**Chapter 16-**

** Privacy? Ha, yeah right.**

The meeting with the Cullens went pretty well, at least in my opinion. There were, of course, times when I would suddenly just stare at one of them, drinking them in, after they said something characteristically true to their Book Selves. It was still so incredibly strange to see them in real life. It was nothing like meeting the actors of the movies- They were the real deal. It was pretty awesome.

Of course, my odd behavior didn't exactly go unnoticed. Vampires were anything but unobservant after all.

They were probably more than a bit concerned at my oddness, but it almost seemed like… At times, they were…amused. Ha, if they knew why I was acting that way I'm sure they wouldn't be as amused.

All in all, I enjoyed myself that night, and they got to explaining a bit more about the vampire world as well. Not that I didn't know it all before they told me, of course. But it's the thought that counts, right?

Other than that, I had some pressing issues. I still needed to talk to Bella alone desperately. I wanted to talk and share theories with someone who knew what I was going through, and not just thought they knew.

But as it was, the Cullens were making it incredibly hard for me. Bella and I weren't left alone at all, as we were newborns, and therefore- not trusted. Bella's latest slip-up hadn't helped us any.

The first time I got to speak with Bella in private was, surprisingly, in the Cullen house itself. Carlisle was at work in the hospital, and Alice and Rosalie had gone on a shopping trip.

Jasper and Emmet had gone on some business –I bet Bella that it was a trip to Jenks's, she thought they were stalking the girls to make sure they were safe (the girl _really_ needs to look up the definition of love…) - Jacob was still in La Push with Renesmee, and Edward and Esme were left at home with the task to keep an eye on us.

Thankfully, "keep an eye on us" didn't also mean "keep an ear on us" and we were able to have a hushed conversation inside when Edward went out to help Esme with the garden.

I had a feeling they were talking about us as well, but let it go as I was thankful for their distraction.

"So are you going to tell me why you were_ really _at the forest? I've met your mother, and last I've seen her she was very nice." Bella said with a smirk.

I ignored the jab at my cover story and answered her question. "I didn't plan to appear there, that's just where I ended up when Stephanie sent me off. Did you choose to appear at the alley when Stephanie transported you?" I asked rhetorically, seeing as I already knew the answer.

"No…" Bella admitted dejectedly. "Stephanie said she sent me there so I would find you. She must have sent you near me so _you _would find _me _this time."

Bella suddenly straightened, and turned contemplative. "But why would she send you near me, if she knew I would be a newborn with little to no control? Unless… She wanted you to transform? Do you think she purposely planned for it to happen?"

Our eyes both widened at the implications.

"Do you think that maybe… I was meant to turn, in order to save you all? That perhaps I'm the one who can do it, because I'm a gifted vampire, with a power that will solve all our problems?" I asked excitedly. This was the first time I'd actually had a possible plan for what I was meant to do.

An explanation as to why I was chosen for this role above other, better candidates.

It was encouraging to say the least.

Unfortunately Edward entered the house after that, and our conversation quickly changed to plans for the rest of the day.

It was a full week later before we managed to speak in private again.

This time it was because Jacob came to visit. While the others fawned over Renesmee, Bella and I needed to be far from her, in order to keep her safe. No matter how cruel it was to keep Bella away from her daughter.

She understood the need, but the strain was taking its toll in her, and I noticed she was much more irritable today.

Jacob, however unwillingly, left his imprint as well in order to keep an eye on us. It would not do to keep Renesmee safe from us, only to have us drink from someone else. Jake also wanted a chance to catch up with Bella. Once she had found out about the imprinting business, she, to put it delicately, freaked. And he was still trying to apologize.

But I could see he was getting on her nerves. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that _he _knew her own daughter better than she did. That had to hurt.

Even Jacob, dense as he was at times, realized that it would soon be dangerous for him to be around Bella if he kept talking about Renesmee. So he kindly shut up.

After a few minutes of awkward silence as the two of then walked together along an unseen path in the forest while I trailed along behind, Bella finally spoke up.

"Jake, look, I know we need to talk, but I just… can't do this right now. Later, when I can see her and this won't hurt so much… Then, I promise I'll talk to you. But now, if you really want to get on my good side, please- just _please_ back off."

He nodded in understanding, and suddenly the awkward silence returned tenfold.

"Umm… I think I'll just… leave now." He said shifting his weight to the other leg awkwardly.

Bella looked at him questioningly, and he quickly added, "I'll still be in range in case something happens. Give me a holler if you need anything, and don't worry about the blood issue- if I smell any I'll be by your side in seconds. I won't abandon you."

"Thanks, Jake."

We walked for another few moments in silence to make sure Jake would be out of hearing range before picking up our previous conversation from the other day.

I noticed that Bella was getting heated as she spoke, her irritable manner from before –caused by the strain of being separated from her daughter, and being half convinced we were soon all going to die- quickly returning. Her voice was turning louder and louder, until she reached the point where I was afraid Jacob would be able to overhear.

It appeared that Bella had been doing a lot of thinking these past few days, and came up with a pretty horrifying theory.

"You think that the guys that kidnapped me have something to do with Stephanie?"

"I don't know!" She growled in frustration, before beginning to pace. "I thought I trusted her, but… It's all rather suspicious isn't it? I mean, she had to know where you were for her to send me there too, didn't she? Wouldn't that mean she was aware of what was happening?"

I didn't have a comeback for that one.

Bella continued on her roll. "And she hasn't exactly given us reasons to trust her either! She's been spying on me, Liz! Fucking _spying_ on me! That shouldn't really make me keen on trusting her!"

"Yet you did."

Bella suddenly made an incredibly un-ladylike sound, which sounded like a combination between a groan and a growl. She then spun quickly; facing the tree she had leaned on before her pacing session and punched the tree smack in the middle.

The poor oak made an odd groaning sound before collapsing, leaving behind only the bottom half. It looked like a lumberjack had cut the tree off.

"Damn it!" Bella yelled. "Why didn't we think of this _before _she sent us off?! Stupid naivety! I need to learn to think before trusting people!"

Slightly freaked out of the reminder of our new strength, I hesitated before trying to calm Bella down. Where was Edward when he was needed?

"Look, it doesn't matter right now if Stephanie is trustworthy or not. You may be right or there may be another explanation, but like you so eloquently put before- we should have thought of it earlier. Stephanie is out of our sight now, and if or when we'll ever see her again is up to her. It's too late for that now."

"How can you be calm about this? If I'm right then it means she likely sent those thugs after you. She's taken you out of your dimension, thrown you here –which also got you transformed- all because of some bullshit story that I'm not so sure I believe in anymore."

I sighed. "Bella, you're only saying that because you don't _want _to believe it anymore. You're terrified that you and your family are doomed because everything is up to me, and I'm nothing special. Even as a vampire- I'm ordinary. I have no powers. We were wrong."

"That may not be true…" Bella said in a failed attempt to cheer us up. "Remember that according to the book I didn't even realize I had the shield power until long after I was transformed. You've only been a vampire for a few days. You might have a power and not know it yet."

"If I really do have a power, it better show itself soon or I won't be able to learn how to use it in time anyway." I grumbled.

The lack of protest from Bella's side showed we were both on the same page.

"You know, I realize that Stephanie told us not to change anything, but you being here has already changed things, hasn't it? Like my perfect self control. The Cullens don't think I have perfect self control like in the book, so I doubt they'll let me go hunting with Renesmee soon anyway. If that won't happen, will Irina even run off to the Volturi? Wasn't that what caused the confrontation in the first place?"

"It was," I agreed. "But you need to remember that Aro is already keeping a rather close eye on you. According to the book, Irina was the trigger. Renesmee alone didn't warrant the entire guard, she was just their excuse for coming after you."

"Like how the assassination attempt on the Austro-Hungarian heir Ferdinand triggered World War One? It isn't the main reason, but it's enough to set things in motion?"

"Err…Yeah, something like that." I answered her, mentally telling myself to brush up on some history in my spare time. I certainly had more than enough of it at the moment.

The silence returned once again, as we continued our walk in the woods.

Something that had been nagging me in the back of my mind seemed to suddenly make sense. I stopped in my tracks and looked at Bella with wide eyes.

"Bella, can't Alice hear anything we say through her visions? She could be spying on us right now, and we'd never know!"

I started to panic. "What if she heard something important?!"

"Liz, calm down. Jacob's in the area, Alice can't see anything. Do you really think I haven't thought of that?"

"Oh, right." But my unease still didn't go away. "What about last time? Jacob wasn't around for our last conversation."

Bella frowned. "I didn't really think of it then, so it's possible she did find out something. But truthfully, I don't think she did."

"Why not?"

"Well for one, she didn't question us on it, or even acted like she heard something. And secondly, while I'm sure Alice _can_ listen in on future conversations, I'd like to think she respects our privacy."

"Besides, the future changes. In a normal conversation, I suspect that there are a variety of possible responses for you to choose from and each choice would change the others response. There are too many options for her to be able to actually follow the conversation and understand it, unless it's concrete."

"You've put a lot of thought behind this, haven't you?"

"Maybe. And don't forget Alice was on a shopping trip at the time. I'm sure she was plenty distracted." Bella said with a smile.

The silence resumed. I was the one who broke it, yet again.

"So when is it safe for us to head back?"

"Edward said he'd come out for us. I feel sorry for him though."

"Why's that?"

Bella looked at me with pain-filled eyes. "Because I feel like I'm making him choose between his daughter and his wife. He can't be with the both of us together. It's sad."

"It won't be like this forever, you know. A year tops."

"I don't even know if we're going to live for a full year, Liz! I want to meet my daughter, you have no idea how much! I'm absolutely terrified that I'll die before seeing her again. I'd have nightmares over that if I still slept, I know I would. And that's not all either."

"Oh?"

"According to the book, and what the others told me of her, she's growing up fast. I feel like I'm going to miss her childhood if this goes on. Every day I go without seeing her, she grows incredibly. I'm missing out on her! Will she even remember who I am by the time they'll allow me to be near her? And what if she decides that Rosalie or Esme is her mother instead of me? I love the two of them, but if that happens I don't know how I'd react. It probably wouldn't end well."

"You need to tell this to the others. They would understand, they might even let you be with her."

Bella groaned. "This is all so messed up! How did I get into a situation where I need to ask for _permission _to see my own daughter? When did life become so complicated?!"

In a whisper so quiet I wasn't sure if she even heard me I muttered, "When you become a danger to everyone around you. Including the people you love."

She didn't know how to answer that.

* * *

**A\N- Sorry for the wait! It's getting a bit difficult to keep up any resemblance of regular updating what with tests and all... Sadly, I don't live in a country that has Christmas break. Just an eight day holiday that's already over :(**

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	17. Losing Hope

**Chapter 17-**

** Losing Hope & finding it in unexpected places**

Time passed. Days turned into weeks, and slowly I became accustomed to living in the Cullen household. There were moments when things seemed absolutely surreal, but I got through those with the help of Bella, who was a breath of fresh air in the madness.

I still hung out with her whenever I could, like we did when she'd stayed at my home, in my world. It took some time, but eventually I came to the realization that she was still the same person she'd always been.

Even though she was _Bella Swan, _she was also the girl who brought me home, helped me get through the trauma of being kidnapped, and befriended me at the time I'd needed a friend most. She was "the poor girl who needed a place to stay". She was my friend from before the madness.

Once that realization came, life in the Twilight world became considerably easier. I had a friend here, a true friend, that knew the _whole _story, and that meant I wasn't alone. We had each other.

Bella was also doing better. After endless arguments, she'd finally got the Cullens to let her near Renesmee. It had helped her case incredibly that Renesmee herself was fighting tooth and nail to see her mother. When told that, Bella had absolutely _glowed _with pride. Like mother like daughter indeed.

It turned out that they hadn't needed to be so worried in the first place. Bella was amazing with Renesmee, and didn't fear losing control with her. Renesmee's sweet vampire-like scent was just enough to cover for her human side. She smelled like perfume, and thankfully, not food.

But even though everything seemed perfect now, I knew it wouldn't last. It was a pessimistic attitude, I know, but unlike Bella, I believed what Stephanie had told us. And that meant that it was only a matter of time before we'd have to face the Volturi, and I'd have to somehow save us all.

The knowledge was like a dark shadow that followed me wherever I went. I couldn't be truly happy, truly carefree, until this burden would be off my shoulders. I wanted it over and done with, but at the same time I was also terrified at the prospect of doing it.

_Doing what exactly? _That was the big question that Bella and I kept coming back to when we managed to speak alone. I had no idea what I was supposed to do to save the day. Couldn't Stephanie have left us some clue? Anything at all?

I chewed it over day and night, but couldn't come up with anything. Our best guess- that I had some special power, appeared to be mistaken. I couldn't do _anything _special. Even as a vampire, I was pretty mediocre. It was slightly depressing to me, and horribly discouraging to Bella.

Bella tried to keep a positive outlook, and pointed out over and over again that it might take time for my power to show itself. I wasn't convinced.

My negative feelings only got worse as nothing changed. I was reaching the point where it was difficult for me to be in the house with the others for long periods of time, and I was getting distant with everyone aside from Bella.

I felt guilty, as though I already knew I would disappoint them. It was hard to look them in the face, knowing that they would all soon die, if I wouldn't be able to stop it. Of course, with my increasingly bad luck, even though I couldn't bear to be around them, I was rarely left alone.

There was always someone, just out of my sight, that kept an eye on me. Bella was also being kept under surveillance, but hers came in the form of Edward. He didn't need to be subtle like the others when it was their turn to watch me. Those two were together all the freakin' time.

It was very near impossible to pry her away from his side long enough to talk to her privately, trust me, I would know.

So, between trying to escape everyone when they were determined not to leave me alone, coming up with unlikely theories to how I save the day, then panicking at the thought of doing it in the first place, cursing Stephanie to hell and going through one thousand and one obstacles just to talk in private for a few minutes with the one person who knew what I was going through, I was going crazy.

I seriously needed a break from it all.

One of the days I felt my pent up frustration becoming a bit much, I decided to try and go out for a hunt on my own for the first time since being changed.

Of course, that was easier said than done. There was a reason after all that I hadn't been left alone in any hunt. It was dangerous, and they still didn't trust me.

I decided to try to just _go_ and hopefully no one would notice my leaving. It was incredibly naïve of me to actually think it would work, but then again, I was hardly thinking clearly anymore. I just knew I needed some space before I lost it.

I didn't get very far before a familiar small figure stepped out from between the trees, causing me to jump back in surprise. I hadn't even heard a peep from that direction! I'd been building on them to come after me once they'd noticed I'd gone, hopefully while I had as large a head start as possible. From that point I would just try to outrun them, but it seemed I hadn't even been able to get that far! How disappointing.

With a quick, graceful lope Alice materialized in front of me. "You want to go on your own."

"I do." I said, mentally arranging all my arguments to convince her to let me go. She was a tiny thing, but I knew I couldn't overpower her. She could counter my every move before I even thought of it.

For a brief moment, I thought I saw her face flash with amusement, but just as quickly as it had come, it vanished and her face remained as impassive as it was before.

"All right then."

My eyes widened, and in my surprise I forgot all my previous arguments. She was letting me go? Just like that? She wasn't going to stop me?

"Y-you're letting me go?"

"I see no danger coming from your little trip. There's no real reason for me to stop you."

"Then why did you come?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

And once again, I was stumped. What could Alice possibly want from me? For a moment I panicked, thinking that she somehow found out I didn't belong in this universe. I tried to reassure myself that that wasn't the case. I had been acting perfectly normal. She couldn't possibly know.

"You're quite the mystery…" She said. My body involuntarily froze and I stopped breathing, waiting to see where she was going with this. "I talked to Edward, you know. He said he didn't smell you anywhere before he let Bella hunt. Almost like you just… _Appeared_ into existence. Curious."

"Well-I," I began fumbling, looking for an excuse.

"And he can't hear your thoughts, either. He thinks he could, at first, but then he couldn't anymore. Odd, isn't it?"

I gulped. This wasn't going any place good.

"And my visions go all _wrong_ around you. I see things that make no sense. Different times, and memories…" She trailed off.

Her eyes snapped back to mine, as if only suddenly seeing me again. "Yes, you are quite the puzzle, aren't you? I'll have a fabulous time trying to solve you!"

She then smiled and walked away, in the direction of the house.

But just before she was completely out of my sight, I heard a quiet mutter, obviously not meant for my ears. "That's interesting… Wonder what…?"

And there was silence once more.

I shook my head, and tried to clear it of the disturbing conversation. Alice was too perceptive for her own good.

I remembered what I came out here for in the first place and, although I was nervous another Cullen might jump out of the trees, I decided to get it done with already.

Of course, I might have also resolved to go as far as possible from the house in the woods as I could. I was just that freaked out.

* * *

I dropped the dead buck in satisfaction, and felt peace for the first time in months. Although the hunt was impossibly cruel and bloodthirsty in a way, it was also quite… Beautiful.

It gave me a feeling of calm confidence, standing there alone in the quiet, knowing that here; I was the most dangerous predator. I had missed the feeling of confidence.

Ever since that dreadful night, it seemed I had lost my confidence for good. Knowing I could so easily have been used and taken… It very nearly destroyed me.

And then came Stephanie, and this mess… And I felt like I was drowning further… So, I was thankful for those moments of confidence after a successful hunt. The feeling healed a little bit of what that night had destroyed.

It felt good. It made me happy.

But once again I felt something destroy my peace- The feeing that I wasn't alone. Someone was here. And I could feel them staring at me.

I turned around, and saw a small animal sitting on a large rock some feet away from me. My curiosity flared, why was this animal not running away? Surely it sensed that I was danger.

The small animal, which I now identified as a squirrel, sat still and seemed unbothered by my presence. In fact, its large intelligent eyes seemed to look at me with curiosity, and excitement. But not at all scared.

Was self-preservation something rare in the town of Forks? Between Bella and the weird woodland animal, it certainly seemed that way. Perhaps it was something in the water?

I walked slowly and carefully toward the creature. I fully expected him to run away at any given point, but he merely sat there staring at me, not moving an inch. In fact, it almost looked like the squirrel was _amused_ at me. How strange.

I reached the odd squirrel and scrutinized him. He didn't _look_ any different from any of the other squirrels I'd seen by chance on previous hunts, but something about him was undeniably different.

Perhaps it was the way he held himself, standing straight on two back feet, like a human, or perhaps it was those eyes… Those intelligent eyes that were boring into mine… As if trying to convey a message… But why would such a simple creature have intelligent eyes?

Something white flashed momentarily as the squirrel moved its bushy tail. I scrutinized it further, and realized suddenly that the white was in fact a piece of paper tied to the back of his tail.

It was a note.

I edged closer to the squirrel, and sat on my knees to be at eye level with the animal on the small boulder.

As if understanding what I wanted, it turned around and raised its tail high. I pulled the string that tied the paper to the squirrel and released the note. The odd creature then jumped off the rock, and I watched silently as it ran off.

A messenger squirrel? Dear God, the world of myths was giving me a headache! I missed normalcy…

I sighed as I unrolled the note in my hands, wondering what I would find.

There, on the small piece of parchment, was a single sentence handwritten in loopy cursive that looked vaguely familiar.

"Don't lose hope."

* * *

**A\N- This is one of my favorite chapters honestly. Hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it.**

**There are so many hidden hints here… Good luck catching 'em**

**AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	18. Changing Strategies

**Chapter 18-**

** Changing Strategies **

"A squirrel? Are you sure that's what you saw?" Bella asked, breaking the painfully long silence that followed my story telling.

"Of course I'm sure! I _do _have perfect eyesight now, thanks to you, as you recall."

"Don't remind me," she muttered darkly.

"Fine I won't." I told her, deciding that there was no point anyway in opening the big box of guilt. It was better off locked and stuffed into the metaphorical attic- never to be opened again. I'd already lost count the amount of apologies the girl had given. No use adding more to the collection.

"_Anyway, _as charming as highly intelligent woodland creatures are, that's not what's bothering me."

"Oh?"

"There was a note attached, Bella. A note written in clear English- the squirrel wasn't there by chance. Someone wrote that note, someone who knows what's going on."

"They might not know. 'Don't lose hope' can just as easily refer to your turning into a vampire. It could have just been a joke from Emmet or someone."

"Yeah, because I'm sure plenty of squirrels hang around Emmet- they don't run in terror from him _at_ _all_."

"You did mention the squirrel was weird."

"I don't know, Bella, this doesn't seem like something one of the Cullens would do. They don't really know me well enough to be so easy around me. And Emmet would have tried to take credit for a prank he pulled. He would have at the very least mentioned it vaguely so I would know he deserved the credit for pulling one over me."

"I suppose… But then who's left if you're not counting the Cullens?"

"It could be Stephanie, I wouldn't put it behind her to do anything- I don't know her nearly well enough. And we know she can come to this dimension easily…"

"It could be," Bella agreed. "Or it could be someone entirely else, who we've never heard of before."

"I guess… But that handwriting looked so familiar…"

"You didn't tell me that!" Bella shrieked.

"Didn't think it was important."

"Of course it's important! It's a clue, don't you see?"

"How on earth could it be a clue?"

"Have you ever seen Stephanie's handwriting? Did you ever see her write anything at all?"

"No, I don't suppose I have."

"Well then there you have it! It couldn't have been Stephanie." Bella said smugly.

I laughed. "Sherlock Homes much, Bella?"

"Let's see you solve something then!"

"Well if you'd leave something for me to solve, I just might."

"Clever little twit."

"Such language! You've been hanging around Jake far too much."

She snorted. "I have to if I ever want to see Ness. The dog's stuck to her side with superglue."

"Since when have you called Jake a dog?"

"Since Rose proved to be a permanent fixture around Ness as well. I shudder to think that those two are already rubbing off on me."

"Good luck with that."

"You could join us you know. You used to be so excited to meet them…"

"Things have changed." I shrugged, sobering up quickly, remembering why I was here again. "I miss home."

"Oh," she said awkwardly.

"But I might just take you up on that," I added with a small smile. "I would like to meet your daughter, you know."

"It's a bit ridiculous you've gone so far without seeing her."

"I suppose. Her family IS pretty protective, as you've learned yourself."

"Damn straight. They take good care of their little miracle."

"You don't do a bad job yourself. I see how much you care for her in your eyes when you speak about her."

Bella smiled at my words. "So now my eyes sparkle too? That's nice to know."

* * *

As result of my talk with Bella, I decided I really _did_ want to solve something, so as part of my new formed decision to take action and do something instead of mope, I started to research possibilities as to why Stephanie had chosen me.

Now, when I say research, I mean it at the loosest interpretation possibly of the word. There was no obvious or sure thing to look for, and anyway whatever conclusion I would come to was entirely hypothetical.

Still, it was progress. It was better than playing guessing games with Bella.

I began by eliminating all possible myths I could possibly think of, as it was possible that Stephanie had chosen me because I was actually a mythological creature of some kind that would have the power to save the day, only I was unaware of it myself. That was based on the hope that Stephanie hadn't meant for me to transform. It was a longshot I'll admit, but I didn't want to leave any loose corners.

So I surfed the web, and started by spending hours in the library searching myth after myth. Ironically enough, the Cullens themselves were also searching in the myths for answers to their questions about Nessie.

Bella and I knew the answers to those questions, but we obviously couldn't tell them since they would want to know how we knew what we knew. It was all really annoying. I could see they were scared for her, and it made me annoyed with myself that I couldn't reassure them when I absolutely had the power to.

As annoying as it was though, it was also extremely convenient. I could spend as long as I wanted researching in any place I could think of, and they didn't suspect something was amiss because they thought I was looking for answers about Nessie.

So my research continued.

On the first week, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't a witch, or a werewolf, or a hobbit, or an elf, or a giant, or an ogre (Of course not!), or… You get the point.

It felt embarrassing as hell to even _consider _some of those options, and the more I thought about it I realized I was probably going about this the wrong way.

So I decided to think about it from the perspective of Stephanie, had she planned for me to transform.

It was possible that I had some kind of power that was to manifest as a vampire –this was also the possibility that Bella most supported- that I had just not noticed as a human.

But that raised the question, if I didn't even know about it, how did Stephanie know about it?

It was possible that she'd spied on me as she did Bella, and she'd just observed myself better than I could, which she probably could too her being an Observer and all.

But that wouldn't explain how she'd known to come after me in the first place. So I left it for now. There were too many variables involved for me to come to any resemblance of a conclusion on that front at the moment.

Besides, if it was merely a vamparistic power I possessed, why would it have been a problem for Stephanie to tell me about it?

And that was another clue. Whatever it was that would help me, had to be something that I wasn't to know about ahead of time in Stephanie's mind, or it "would ruin everything" in her words.

Did that mean I should stop looking for answers?

That was easier said than done. I _wanted _to know. I _desperately_ wanted to know.

Whether because I thought it would reassure me, and give me confidence, or perhaps because I felt entirely too ordinary and average my entire life, that I wanted to find out that I was actually different and special I didn't know. It was probably a combination of both.

That was hard to admit. _Should _I leave it to fate, and trust Stephanie? _Did I even trust Stephanie?_

I honestly hoped I did. It would make things that much harder if I didn't.

So I trusted Stephanie, and stopped my research. It was beyond difficult to do, but the more I thought about I realized if Stephanie hadn't told me, it was probably because the truth would scare me. To the point I wouldn't help the Cullens, if her words were any indication.

And like Bella, I couldn't help but wonder… Since when had life become so complicated?

* * *

After my… _curious_ encounter, things actually did seem to look up. I realized that, although the future would be possibly frightening, at the moment I had nothing to fear. I'd left my research, and stopped searching for answers. I decided to live in the present, and not in the future.

After all, we were all safe, and that was really all that truly mattered.

And so I started enjoying my strange new life the way I'd originally thought I would- I began to truly connect with the Cullens.

Before, I'd been incredibly distant with them. I saw it only now- how I'd kept a safe distance from them all, but Bella. She was basically the only one I ever really talked to.

What a disappointment I must be to fan girls all around the world! Here I am, basically living the dream of every single one of them, and what do I do? Mope! Where did all my early enthusiasm go to?

I was justified for being scared of course, but honestly! It would do me no good to sit and wait for the impending doom. If I truly was to have a frightening future, shouldn't that mean I should make the most of the present? It is the world's gift after all.

So, with renewed excitement, I began seeing things with slightly less pessimistic eyes. It was like the note was a slap to the face, telling me to remember to live my life, and not lose hope. Not lose hope. That was my new mantra.

So I didn't.

And I became more a part of the household than ever. I began with helping Esme around the house, speaking to her for hours about everything from art to embarrassing and funny stories about her children. They had some wicked stories to tell. And not all of those stories had been in the books at any point. In fact, most stories were entirely new to me, and therefore made it very easy for me to react naturally- there was no need to fake the surprise and wonder of hearing something for the very first time.

It was those small things that made me closer to the rest of the Cullens, but for the most part, once I'd started smiling more, it just got easier for them to approach me.

You could nearly feel the tension fade away from the family and happiness taking its place. It was a wonderful feeling, really.

About a month after my strange encounter, there was still no change on the "Observer" front, or my supposed powers for that matter. I'd been living with the Cullens at that point for two months already, and had all but forgotten the reason I was there in the first place.

My memories of Stephanie were hazy at best, as they were all human memories, and generally I was just _happier _not thinking of it.

The only thing that was truly bothering me anymore was the fact that I had yet to meet Renesmee. I'd heard so much about her from everyone, read about her in another dimension, and yet had never actually seen her for myself.

There was just one main problem, I was still a newborn. The Cullens trusted Bella for a number of reasons, the least of which that she was Ren's mother, and a true Cullen. I on the other hand, wasn't either of those. That created somewhat of a quandary for us.

They hadn't specifically prohibited my meeting her, but it was obvious it made a few of them uneasy, Edward and Jasper specifically, plus Jacob if you counted the family pet.

I was so team Edward.

_Anyway, _I realized that if I really wanted to meet Renesmee, I'd have to get her main caretakers to trust me.

I'd already opened up to them, and became closer to the family, so I was at least closer to them then what I'd been before. It was a start.

I'd have to prove to them that I was stronger than my bloodlust.

I remembered how Bella had managed that feat in the book. I'd have to prove it in a hunt, and show them that I could stop myself in time.

So I began my planning.

* * *

**A\N- Thanks to all the readers who are following the story! I'm sorry about the infrequent updates, truly, but I really**** can't ****help it. I DO have plenty of excuses why the chapter is late, but I'm not looking to explain myself. This is a hobby, and I do believe I will finish this story eventually, but until then...**

**Anyway, this was a fairly long chapter -for me anyway- so, hope you liked it!**

**Amaya: Sorry I can't answer you because you reviewed as a guest :) But as to your question- The Cullens won't take her to Eleazer because they aren't involved with the entire powers-Liz-may-have thing, and besides, who said she even had a power? She certainly THINKS she does, but is that true? Eh. Maybe, maybe not. Time will tell. But Eleazer may enter the story, it still depends on my further outlining.**


	19. Proving Her Worth

**Chapter 19-**

** Proving Her Worth**

_**Bella POV**_

"No. Absolutely not," I said.

"But _why_ not?" Liz demanded.

"It's too risky. Someone will get hurt."

"I know I can handle it!"

"Even if you could, why on earth do you think they'll let you?"

"Then I'll do it without them knowing."

"Yeah, good luck with that. Tell me when Alice drags your sorry ass back. I'll be waiting here to say 'I told you so'."

"Fine! What do you propose then? I doubt you have any better ideas."

"Quite the contrary, my skeptical little friend, _I_ happen to have the perfect idea."

.

.

.

"Now I actually _am_ worried."

* * *

Tick tock. Tick tock. Stupid time. Why couldn't it go any faster? Tick tock. I narrowed my eyes at the hand on the clock that seemed to be going at a snail's pace. Tick tock. Irritating, unmoving, time. Who knew eternity passed by so slowly?

I was still waiting. And waiting, and waiting.

That was when I'd started pacing. That's right, a vampire _pacing_. Good grief, I truly am one of a kind.

And so the wait continued. I hated waiting. Even as a kid, I'd always been the first to ask, "Are we there yet?" whenever we drove somewhere or went on a trip. I used to drive my mother crazy that way.

And so it was no surprise to me that the trait had passed on to my immortal life. But for the love of all that's holy, did it _have_ to get worse?

Some luck I have. I'd be reading the ancient magazines filled with long forgotten gossip on Hollywood's ex-famous stars that were piling up in the corner if this kept up. And I hated those. How much longer did I have to wait?

I stared at the plain, white clock in the waiting room I was currently in. I found it ironic that I was going crazy over waiting…in a waiting room.

At least I was going crazy alone. It would have been that much worse if there'd been people around to witness my own, personal type of hell.

I was exaggerating, of course, but seeing as I did that often these days, I didn't think much of it.

I could imagine the other people who'd surely been here too, going through the same as I was going through now, merely a few hours before. Although they'd been waiting for something very different, and it had been when the sun was out—when the clinic had actually been _open_.

How light mattered so much now, after… I'd never be able to see those people in that setting these days. Not with them seeing me as well.

Of course, I couldn't go anywhere near them in any case. Not unless I wanted them dead.

Luckily for them, I had a conscience. So that was why we were here, after hours, technically breaking into the clinic.

Not that we'd have been able to do it any other way, I thought with a wry chuckle. The doctor would never have given us what we wanted.

Tick. Tock. I stared at the hands of the clock again. I could have sworn time was passing slower every second. How much of it had gone by since I'd last looked at the clock? Surely it was more than the thirty seconds the clock seemed to indicate.

This was getting ridiculous.

I heard a faint clicking sound, of a door closing in place, and immediately stood up.

He was here. _Finally._

And he was carrying with him exactly what we'd come here in search of.

Edward smiled at me hesitantly. "Promise not to attack me?"

"Promise."

* * *

Liz pulled us aside the moment she saw we were back.

"Do you have it?" she asked anxiously.

"Right here," Edward said. He lifted the red plastic container slightly to show her. "I still think we should have asked Carlisle to get it for us. I mean, he has access to it. We didn't have to steal."

"It's not really stealing if you plan on giving it back, though, right?"

"You actually think a container filled with blood packets is going to make it back _out _of the home of nine vampires?"

"Well…"

"Thought so," Edward retorted.

"Hey! They are cold, after all, and we prefer warm blood. Who knows?"

I sighed. "Just leave it, we didn't take that much anyway. I doubt they'll notice. And you know why we didn't want to ask this of Carlisle, Edward. He'd be against it."

"I know," Edward said heavily. "That's why I agreed."

A heavy silence settled upon us for a few moments before Liz abruptly cut it off.

"Alright! Let's get this done! We got work to do, people," she reminded.

I laughed. "Oh, I can't wait to see their faces!"

* * *

Morning came around, and with it, an extremely unsettling sense of excitement. I knew my plan would work. I just knew it.

And it was going to be awesome to see it unfold right before my own eyes.

I kissed Edward quickly on the lips with a cheerful 'good morning!' and smiled as his laugh echoed around the cottage.

"One could think you've just started your day, and not been up and about all night with the way you're acting," he said, as he got out of bed and followed me to the closet to get dressed for the day.

"I think you've forgotten that we're vampires, love."

"But if we're vampires, then how can I forget something?" he asked with a smirk.

"I've never claimed we're normal, dear."

"Touché."

I dressed quickly, having learned my way around the enormous closet—courtesy of Alice—and left Edward to his own devices for a while as I continued with my usual morning routine of waking up Nessie.

I opened the white wooden door with the pink "Welcome to Nessie's Room! The only place where the monsters don't hide under the bed, they sit on it and read bedtime stories!" sign, which Emmett had made for Nessie as a joke, and didn't expect her to use. Surprisingly, she'd instantly taken a liking to it.

The fact that her humor was taking after Emmett's actually had me worried. But that was a thought for another day.

I entered the pink and white room and headed straight to the bed with the princess sheets. She looked like an angel in her sleep, and it felt almost criminal to interrupt her peace and wake her.

Getting over myself, I shook her little shoulder and murmured, "Wakey, wakey. The sun is shining, baby. It's time to get up."

Her eyelids fluttered as she opened her chocolate brown eyes, so much like mine used to be, before yawning.

"Morning, Mummy."

* * *

_**Liz POV**_

I chewed my fingernails nervously as I waited for Edward to meet me at the designated spot. He was supposed to be here two minutes ago, and he was running late. _Why was he running late? Did something happen? Was the plan off? _

I knew I should have gone ahead with my original idea! Why did I let Bella convince me that her plan was better?

Mine was simple- go on a hunt, stray near humans, and prove that I could go on without eating them! Bella's was…different, in that it depended on reactions to succeed.

Good God. Why did I agree to this? What if I accidently harm-

My train of thought stopped as a quiet rustle of leaves alerted me to another presence in the area.

"It's about time, Edward!"

He stepped out sheepishly from between the trees, with both his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry, I lost track of time. Nessie was doing the cutest thing-"

"Not now!" I huffed at him. "Can't you see how nervous I am? Just tell me… is it time?"

He nodded seriously, while appraising me with his eyes. "Are you sure you're ready for this? Bella trusts you, so I do too, but if you feel you aren't ready…"

But I was ready. I was convinced I could do this. Besides, I'd already practiced on the blood packets last night, I knew for a fact that I could do this. There was no reason for me to be nervous.

I put my game face on.

"I am," I said. "I'm ready."

His lips twitched into an approving grin. "Then it's time."

* * *

_**Bella POV**_

I sat with a smile on my face as I watched my baby girl. It seemed I wasn't the only one—Esme kept bustling about the clean living room, pretending to clean while sneaking glances at us every other moment or so, wearing her own smile.

Besides her were Rose and Jake, both of whom I'd gotten quite used to seeing around Nessie. They weren't being subtle like Esme, but instead they were playing with Nessie and entertaining her. To be honest, they were entertaining me as well.

Their hardly concealed insults to each other were concealed just enough that the youngest couldn't understand. I was hardly as innocent and therefore had to work hard to hide my snorts every other minute or so.

But they were reaching the point of co-operation. I was very proud of them both. It was proof that even the most stubborn werewolf and vampire could get along, all thanks to a single girl—my beautiful Renesmee.

They were all enchanted by her just as much as I was. It was quite the sight to watch.

I was sitting on the spotless cream-colored carpet beside Ness, playing along with her game of stacking cups. She was currently very busy working on her second pyramid, which seemed to be taking the form of the Eiffel tower.

I suppressed a chuckle. She was certainly unique.

I wondered if that was the reason I was so insistent to have Liz meet her. I couldn't help the proud feeling I had whenever I saw my daughter—and neither controlled the desire to show her off to my best friend.

I knew that ultimately, it didn't matter what anyone else thought –part of the Cullen family or not- about Liz meeting Nessie. It was hardly their decision. That, at least, was up to me and Edward.

All our planning and schemes were hardly necessary, and I believed Liz knew that too. But I think this was about more than that.

Liz didn't want to just meet Nessie; she wanted to prove to the entire family that she could control her thirst. She wanted to prove that she was better than the average newborn. Better than I could hope to be.

So I played along with her games. More than that, I may have _slightly _taken over her plans. But it was for the best. Her plan had been risky, and if she had failed to control herself, it would have also ended badly.

My plan was much safer as she would be surrounded by vampires who could stop her at any moment. I was confident we would be able to stop her in case she did fail. And I highly doubted she would, considering I'd seen her practice the very night before…and she hadn't failed then at all.

In any case, the plan had already been set to motion. Edward had gone out to retrieve Liz. Normally, when Nessie would be brought to the big house, Liz would go out hunting and waited until one of us went out to call her back.

The rest of the family thought this time would be no different.

How wrong they were.

A door slammed open in one of the rooms upstairs and I flinched, knowing what was about to come.

A wild blur flew down the stairs and reached the living room in record time. The blur suddenly stopped and took the form of a petite, dark-haired vampire, dragging a reluctant Jasper behind her.

"Isabella Marie Cullen, what _on earth_ were you thinking?! Why am I suddenly seeing Liz coming here? Have you gone crazy? You'll be risking Nessie's life if she comes! Who knows what'll happen?!"

"I believe you'd know," I said calmly.

"I- She-, Wh..? You..!" she spluttered.

"Breathe, Alice."

By now, the entire family had gathered around the room at Alice's yells. I was inwardly smirking. Everything was going exactlyas I'd planned. There was something to be said about how _darn useful_ it was to know how people react.

I noticed Alice's attire for the first time. Unlike her normal careful consideration for clothes, at the moment she was wearing her shirt inside out and backwards -with the tag out- and was completely barefoot. For the others, walking barefoot in the house likely wouldn't have rung any bells, but Alice _always _wore shoes. The girl was obsessed with footwear.

Apparently, it was fashion's best invention.

"Are you even listening to me?" Alice shrieked. "This is _dangerous! _We need to get Nessie out of here _now_."

"Unless you just had a vision of Nessie actually _getting hurt, _which I highly doubt by the way, would you please calm down?" I asked her forcefully. Her shouting was grating on my nerves. Of course I knew what I was doing! This was my decision to make—not anyone else's. I didn't need Alice telling me what to do.

She took a deep breath. Although her lungs didn't need the air, I knew she needed the moment to calm down and rethink the situation.

Carlisle suddenly cut in. "Is this true, Bella? Is Liz coming here now?"

I nodded carefully.

He frowned deeply, his eyes expressing his concern. I could see he was worried; for Nessie, for Liz, and for all of us if this should end badly.

_But it wouldn't!_ I felt like screaming. Couldn't they see everything would be fine?

"Liz is older and more controlled than I ever was when you let me be with Nessie. There is noreason why she should have a problem controlling herself."

"That's not quite true, darlin'," Jasper drawled in his southern accent, interrupting me. "Unlike you, Liz has never been exposed to human blood. How do you think she'll react when she smells Nessie?"

"I imagine she'll react by not reacting," I said with a wicked grin. "Considering she already _has _been exposed to human blood. She fared very nicely if I may say so myself."

Confusion followed my words.

"What do you mean she's already been exposed to human blood?" Jacob questioned with a touch of fear. "Please tell me you haven't done something stupid like breaking the treaty, Bella…"

"Wow. You guys really don't trust me do you?"

"Answer the question, Bella."

"No! For crying out loud, I'm not stupid! I thought you knew I was the responsible one?"

"That belief likely ended when you started bringing over newborns to meet your half-human daughter," Emmett interjected.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You be quiet. There is _no way _I'm about to be lectured about responsibility from a prankster."

Emmett smiled easily. "Guilty as charged. Just don't condemn me!"

I relaxed as the tension in the room seemed to slightly go down. A joke from a jokester is always useful in crappy situations.

"I think we should let Liz come," Rose suddenly said.

We all turned to look at Rose, surprised by her sudden proclamation. Probably no one had expected her to be on Liz's side, or mine for that matter. Not if it was dangerous to Nessie.

Hearing the complete silence, I realized Nessie had stopped stacking. Come to think of it, she'd probably stopped when Alice had started yelling.

She must have crawled over to Rose at some point because she was currently sitting on her lap, staring at her intently. Her hand was in Rose's and it didn't take long for me to make the connection—she'd been showing her something before.

"Why do you think so, dear?" Esme asked softly, breaking the silence.

"Because it's what Nessie wants," Rose answered.

And right there and then, I knew I'd won the argument. Not only because I'd pointed out some strong points in Liz's favor, but also because they would do almost anything to fulfill Nessie's wants. And this was something Nessie wanted.

I smiled. "So, are we done here? I believe we have some guests with impeccable timing."

* * *

**A\N- **So the chapter's finally up! It's been a while, but this chapter is especially long (And Beta'd!) to make up for it. Hope you all liked it!

AS ALWAYS I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!


	20. Getting Closer

**Chapter 20-**

** Getting Closer**

_Liz POV_

Emotions can be conflicting, confusing. You might not always know why you felt the way you did, you might sometimes wish you couldn't feel a thing—but one thing I knew for sure—they made life a hell of a lot more interesting.

Among the wide variety of emotions a human can feel, there's pride. Pride is a beautiful emotion—a positive one that succeeds in making the person feeling it, _happy_. More, even, as the person experiencing pride is not only happy, but they feel a sense of accomplishment of some kind as well.

A person could feel pride for numerous reasons: for something he was a part of, for someone close to him who succeeds in a task, and a hundred things more, yet, mostly, for one's own achievement.

At that moment, holding Renesmee in my arms, I knew who the pride I felt coursing through me was directed to. It was me.

And I couldn't be happier.

These were the thoughts that'd been running through my mind as I sat in the large white armchair in the Cullens' living room with Renesmee.

The amusing thing about them, as I'd come to notice once Renesmee had held her hand to my cheek, was that they mirrored hers in feeling, if not in the same context.

She, too, was feeling exceedingly happy. At first I didn't understand it—I mean, why would the young girl care about meeting me? I was not special to her in any way really, as I wasn't a part of her family, nor was I someone she'd come to know.

The answer to my questions came from her, not a moment later, in the form of her thoughts. Her power to show all that was on her mind really did come in handy at times.

Apparently, it wasn't as pointless as I'd thought when I'd first read about it in the books.

She was thinking about her mother's argument with most of the Cullens earlier that afternoon, when they'd just found out about our plan.

Through her eyes, I could see what I'd missed out on earlier. I could see Alice screaming her lungs out at Bella, and then Carlisle and Jasper indicating their disapproval as well, only in a more silent manner.

But Renesmee had been focusing on her mother's face or "Mommy" as she called her in her thoughts.

She was watching as Bella grew, bit by bit, more and more annoyed, and even slightly distressed with her family. Renesmee hated seeing her mommy unhappy.

Now Renesmee was a clever girl, and she'd followed for the most part on the conversation that was making Mommy upset.

She understood that this was about her, as such arguments usually were nowadays, and realized that she was able to help her mommy. She'd do anything to make her happy. Mommy was the bestest person in the world, after all, right next to Jacob. And that was quite the compliment in Renesmee's books.

So help her mommy she did, thanks to Auntie Rose who helped her, and now her family was happy again.

I smiled at Renesmee's simple, yet beautiful, thought and felt my appreciation for the young girl grow. She truly was extraordinary for her age, which consisted at the moment of a measly two and a half months.

"Enjoying yourself?"

I lifted my head with a smile to greet the owner of the voice. "As a matter of fact, Rosalie, yes I am, very much so. I understand I have you to thank for it?"

The beautiful blond vampire shook her head with a soft smile. "Not really. If anyone, it's Nessie whom you should thank. I was merely the messenger."

"All the same, I'm glad you stood up for me, even if you didn't do it for my own benefit."

"I'm glad I did it too," she said. "You're obviously good with her. I'd say I'm sorry most of us doubted you before, but I understand the other's concerns. Having a newborn around… It's always a risk. You know, you and Carlisle are the only ones to have never slipped up. It's something I'd try to maintain if I were you."

"I know," I said. "It's just _so_ frustrating sometimes."

"I get you." She sighed. "The newborn phase was a hard couple of years for me. The others… Well, they got used to it all eventually, but I don't think I ever truly did."

"Why's that?" I asked, feeling it to be the most appropriate response, yet at the same time feeling odd asking, seeing that I already knew the answer. At least this way I'd have a reason to know said answer should the matter come up again in the future.

She looked at me pensively and answered my question with a question. "How much do you know about the circumstances of my change?"

I wondered what to answer. I already knew her story, but that was learned through books—the very books that didn't exist in this dimension. Then again, I supposed I could excuse my knowledge by saying I heard it from Bella, as she'd surely agree to cover for me.

"I know a bit," I settled on saying in the end.

She nodded, as though this was what she'd expected me to say.

"So you must also know that, like almost everyone else in this family—including you—my change was not chosen. Not by me, at least," she said with a dry chuckle. "Carlisle meant well, I can see that now, but the price of being saved was too high in my opinion. The price was giving up my dream."

"Your dream…?"

"Of having a child to call my own," she clarified. "You may not care about that now, but you'll understand me one day."

"You speak as though I'm a little kid."

"You _are _a little kid, compared to me," she retorted.

"Why do people keep _saying _that? You can't all be that old, just a few decades more than me, give or take."

"Just?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"You know what? You're right," I said. "You people are all old. _And _you're filled with depressing thoughts that manage to burst my happiness."

My reply, which was said in a sarcastic manner in the hopes of turning the conversation to more pleasant places, seemed to have failed in its task. Rosalie remained standing against the wall, her arms crossed under her chest, looking at me intensely.

"Maybe so," she reasoned at last. "But I still _am _sorry you'll have to go through it one day."

I shrugged. "One day is an awful lot of days from now. I'd rather not think of it if I don't have to."

"Perhaps you have a point," she agreed.

"Of course I have a point, I said with a grin. "I'm just smart like that."

"Don't forget modest," she added. She smiled as well, and the heaviness from our previous conversation finally dissipated.

"You know, for a kid, you're not that bad," she said out of nowhere after a moment of silence.

"And you're not that bad either. For an old lady, that is."

"Watch it, kid."

* * *

The rest of the day passed surprisingly pleasant, considering the rocky start the morning had taken, and before I noticed, it was already nighttime, which meant that Renesmee had to go to bed, unlike the rest of us.

This left one very bored me, as I had been spending my entire day 'till then with the little girl and Rose- Jacob had taken the day off from his "imprinting duties", as I tended to call them in my mind. That had left us girls alone for the day, something I was very appreciative of. Rose seemed to be enjoying her chance to get rid of the wet dog smell as well.

But now that was over, since Nessie needed her sleep. Rose stayed and talked with me for a while at first, but had eventually gone over to Alice's room to do some online shopping. Consequently, this left one very bored Emmett as well, and we both found ourselves somehow sitting in front of the TV, staring at a reality show currently broadcasting with blank faces.

As the audience on screen clapped enthusiastically for the couple on the dance floor, Emmett suddenly broke our shared silence.

"I'm bored," he announced.

Now, as I'd come to discover from my stay in the Cullen household, Emmett wasn't—as they called it—quite my cup of tea. Oh, I laughed at his jokes and found myself rather fond of his somewhat child-like nature, but I just _wasn't _the silly type.

So it was completely logical that, upon hearing him utter those words, a sense of apprehension flooded my system. It was quite known, after all, that boredom led people to do crazy things. And Emmett was the type to do crazy things without any prompt at all. So what would happen if the two were combined?

Oh the implications… What would I be subjected to, as the only person currently around, with a bored Emmet on the loose?

"Good for you," I finally answered. "Join the club."

He turned to look at me with a not-so-deceptive innocent expression. "Hey, Liz…"

Uh-oh. He wanted something, I could tell. My self-preservation instinct was tingling.

"We're both bored…"

"Whatever it is, the answer is no, with a capital N."

He pouted. "You haven't even heard my proposition yet!"

"Do you actually think that'll change my mind?"

"I could try."

I sighed. "Fine, talk if you must. But I'm making no promises."

"Good enough." He shrugged. His smile suddenly returned in full force. "So, what say the two of us go out and prank some innocent young humans?"

"Pranking?" I asked. "That's it?" That wasn't nearly as bad as the horrific scenarios my mind had managed to form in the space of a few seconds. Curse myself for overreacting unnecessarily.

"Hey!" he cried in mock outrage. "I'll have you know that pranking is quite a formidable pastime. We can go to a shopping center if you'd like- teenage girls are always the most fun to mess with. All you have to do is walk by them and BAM! They faint from my dazzling awesomeness!"

"Why would that be considered pranking, though?"

He shot me a disbelieving look. "Because it's funny for me, obviously!"

I nodded at him in a serious way, deciding to play along. "_Of course_ that's why. Silly me, how did I not see it before?"

"There, there," Emmett said reassuringly. "You couldn't have known. You were too innocent. You can thank me for causing you to see the light later."

I couldn't help it. I laughed—quite loudly too.

"What's all the commotion about?" A new voice suddenly entered the conversation. The silky drawl made it instantly recognizable. I could tell who it was without turning my head.

"Jazzie!" Emmett exclaimed. "Just in time, come on, we were just about to go out to mess with some human teenagers. It should be amusing, you coming?"

"You're taking her out?" Jasper asked. "Didn't we have a discussion on this just this morning?"

"In which she proved herself as perfectly capable to control herself," Emmet countered.

"Yes she did, with a single, small, _half_-human who meant something to her. Not masses of fully grown humans she doesn't know who'll all seem like walking food pouches to her."

I suddenly had a mental image of myself as a giant, picking out little humans from the street and guzzling them all up for snacks.

I shuddered.

"Even Bella hasn't gone _out out_ yet, and she's older."

"By three days! Besides she'll have me with her, and there won't be that many people there. It'll be fine."

Jasper looked at me appraisingly, as if he was deciding if I was ready or not. He seemed to finally come to a decision a moment later.

"So what's the verdict?" Emmett asked.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you. You'll need me if things go downhill."

"Please, do join us. It's not like we didn't offer a minute ago."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh at me for thinking things through and being responsible, why don't you."

"My pleasure," Emmett answered. "Now come on! Let's go!"

* * *

_**~Some milliseconds later in the Cullens' garage~**_

"We're taking the Ferrari?"

"Sure, what Bella doesn't know won't hurt her."

"Agreed. Just don't tell Edward."

"Wouldn't dream of it, brother."

* * *

**A\N- **Hey reader people, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks to Project Team Beta for beta'ing this chapter and the previous one. I hope it makes reading this better for those random people who are still sticking through this story despite my semi-long updating frequency.

I put in a bit more of the Cullens in this chapter, since I know I've been absolutely neglecting them from the beginning, and that's very uncool of me.

As a special treat for my readers, who I love very much (I'm such a kiss-up!) I'm posting here a short O-make that didn't make it into the story, and I thought you would enjoy. It's for those lovely Alice\Jasper shippers out there.

Here goes!

_"Yes you did kind of interrupt us in the middle of something…"_

_Her messed up clothes suddenly took new meaning. "Oh!"_

_Alice winked. "I'll see you later."_

LOL! It told you it was short :) Referance to the last chapter- read back if you don't remember.

**AS ALWAYS I'LL BE SENDING AN EXCERPT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS!**


	21. The Four P's

**Chapter 21**

**Pranking and Protests Lead to Problems of Epic Proportions- Part 1**

_**Liz POV**_

"So this is Port Angeles, huh?" I asked, looking over the small town as we drove by. It was more polished than Forks, in a way I expected was meant to attract tourists.

_As if they had any competition with Forks_, I though with a laugh. That place may well be cataloged as Snooze-Ville! That is, when it wasn't infested with the Supernatural.

And of course, if your name was Bella Swan, because in that case Forks was both the most dangerous and exciting place on earth.

Come to think of it, Forks _was_ a pretty interesting place. Just not in my original world.

"Oh yeah," Emmett answered. "This is Port Angeles all right. Now, the local girls know to shop at the department stores that are further in the town, but the tourists all go to the picturesque stores up here which look fancier, but really are just more expensive."

"How do you know that information, and why is it relevant to us exactly?" I asked.

"Simple," Jasper replied in Emmett's stead. "Alice and Rosalie are our mates. We've heard it all before and then some."

"Exactly." Emmett chuckled. "And this particular information helps us because that way we get to choose who we'll be pranking. So what'll it be, locals or tourists?"

"Definitely tourists," Jasper answered quickly. "Imagine if we accidently run into Lauren…" He shuddered.

Emmett laughed. "Good point, o' brother of mine. Let's hope for some hot Russian long legs. Do you know if girls like them tend to tour the Olympic Peninsula?" He asked, as he turned the wheel, finding a good place to park the ridiculously flashy and expensive car.

"Oh hush!" I said. "You have Rose. She's got enough hot, long legs to last a lifetime."

"True that," Emmett replied. "But that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to look, right?"

"Only if you like getting castrated," Jasper said. "Remember that one time in New York where she almost—"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Emmet cried. "As far as I'm concerned that has never happened. Never ever." He opened the car door and stepped out, resulting in Jasper and I following him.

Jasper smirked. "So you're telling me that—"

"Enough!" I interrupted. "Would you _please _spare me my innocence? _Please?_"

"Oh come on, you don't even know what she did!" Jasper said. He was now leaning against the hood of the Ferrari, looking like he came straight out of a car commercial.

"Exactly! And I also happen to have this _really _strong feeling that I _don't_ _want _to know."

"Yeah!" Emmet joined. "What she said! Just don't bring it up again."

Jasper pursued his lips in an obvious attempt to control his laughter. "I suppose if you really don't want to hear it…"

"I really don't."

"Then that settles it!" Emmett exclaimed. "Can we please get going with our plan now? Well _my_ plan anyway."

I stuck my tongue out at him. I hadn't felt this care free in a long time. I usually was much more reserved, and doubly so after the whole Twilight mess which had left me reeling and unbalanced, but for some reason—mostly likely Emmett's own care free nature—I was currently in the best of moods.

"Very mature you two," Jasper said.

"Well," Emmett said seriously, wearing a straight face. "Let it not be said that I do not pride on my most remarkable maturity."

We all burst out laughing.

"Now, now," Jasper said, wiping pretend tears from his eyes. "I do believe we had some purpose when we came here. Shall we try to stay on track?"

"I suppose we could," I said, once I'd regained a semblance of composure.

"Of course we will!" Emmett cried dramatically. "Why, I think I may have just chosen our first victim!"

"Is that so?" Jasper asked. "And who might this unlucky person be?"

"_She_ is to your right at two o' clock, red hair, and carrying a Gucci handbag."

Both Jasper and I immediately began casting surreptitious glances in the general direction, although we'd both caught sight of her at once thanks to our enhanced senses. I think we did it because it felt more human to pretend we weren't able to immediately pick her out once receiving Emmett's description.

"Got it," I said. "So what's the plan?"

"The plan? Eh, plans are too mainstream for the likes of Emmett Cullen," Emmett announced. "I say we wing it."

Jasper and I exchanged a look. _To use our brains or to go after Emmett's lead?_ That was the real question.

_Oh to heck with it. _

"Sure, why not?" I shrugged.

"Excellent!" Emmett grinned widely, clapping his hands together.

Jasper didn't look persuaded. "What, we'll all just walk up to her? That sounds stupid. We need to have _some _plan."

Emmett frowned in thought, before suddenly brightening up considerably. "How's this; Liz will go up to her and start flirting with her, just enough to get her surprised and unbalanced-" his voice rose as his excitement grew, "- and then Jazz will come up, and play the part of the jealous boyfriend!"

I gaped. Jasper stared.

"Dude, that makes no sense. I think you've got it backwards."

I began laughing hysterically. "So this is why you didn't want to plan! Gosh, Emmett, you could have just told us you were out of ideas!"

"Am not! The great Emmett Cullen is never out of pranks!"

"Obviously," Jasper drawled. "Because that was one heck of a stroke of brilliance back there, bro. Never seen anything like it."

"Umm, guys? We're losing sight of our target."

"Well, shit."

"What do you propose we do, genius?" I asked.

"I say we go back to Plan A, and wing it."

Jasper sighed. "Better than sitting around here I suppose. Who wants to go first?"

A staring contest evolved between the three of us. I broke first. Curse myself for being soft.

"Fine, I'll go. Who knows? Maybe I'll take a leaf out of your book and flirt with the poor girl after all."

"Good luck with that!" Emmett shouted behind me as I turned to leave. I visibly flinched, since as close as I still was to Emmett there really was no reason for him to shout, and he'd obviously done it to get ourselves a bit of attention. There was a fair amount of people around for this time of the evening, and I wondered if there was an event in town—concert or the like—to explain it. _Not likely_, I thought. This was Port Angeles after all.

I began walking in the direction of our chosen redhead victim, but slowed once I actually began nearing her, as I had yet to decide what I actually wanted to do once I'd reached her.

Winging it suddenly sounded so much harder than it had five minutes ago.

* * *

"Say, Jazz, think it might have been a stupid idea to send Liz to prank the woman alone? I mean, we're supposed to be keeping a really close eye on her…"

"She's right _there, _bro, just a few dozen feet away. I can _hear her _muttering to herself that she's going to get us back for this. It'll be fine as long as she stays in our sight, and the girl's smart enough to know she shouldn't suddenly go wandering off."

"Yeah I know _that, _but I have a bad feeling about this—it sounds as though a lot more people are heading this way. _What is that?_"

"Oh shit." Jasper cursed, as he heard the cause of Emmett's unease. It seemed trouble was out to get them. "I'm going to check it out." He decided. "Stay here and keep a watch on Liz."

He walked quickly to the end of the line of stores, where the road turned and entered town. It was in the opposite direction of where Liz had gone, and that left him slightly nervous. He trusted Emmett, but this had too much of a potential for disaster.

He couldn't see much of anything unusual in the streets, but the noise was still there, and Jasper had a creeping suspicion as to what it may be. He wished no humans had been around so that he'd be able to run in full speed to the source of the noise, so he could solve this and go back to Liz and Emmett.

It had started silently, almost unheard, even to vampire ears. But the shouting was gradually getting stronger, to the point where even the humans around them were looking around, searching for the source of the noise.

It had escalated much too quickly for Jasper's comfort. He hadn't wanted to jump the gun and demand they get out of there as quickly as they could, as they'd all been having a pretty good time before the shouting had started, but he was coming to regret that decision.

"Jazz, _listen_ to the words they're shouting. This sounds like a protest, a big one," Emmett shouted to him.

"We need to get Liz out of here," Jasper replied immediately, running to Emmett's side.

"That might prove to be harder than you think…"

"—_what?"_ Jasper turned his head quickly, looking back to where Liz had been standing last—only to see nothing. "_How could you let her out of your sight_?!"

"I didn't! Well, not really anyway! I mean, she was right there, talking to the chick a second ago!"

"_Emmett—" _Jasper growled. It was at moments like these that he wondered what the universe had against him. Not only was there a _fucking protest _headed their way, which meant chaos and crowds, but he'd managed to lose the newborn! _What was wrong with him? _He was definitely losing his touch.

"Look, we can find her, all right? We just need to start searching, and we need to move _now_, preferably before she finds herself ruining her pristine record, or exposing the vampire world. No biggie," Emmett said.

Jasper didn't even bother answering; he was already off to the nearest alley, jumping onto the roof, before starting to run at a vampire pace, jumping from one roof to the next in a parkour fashion.

His hawk-like eyes were scanning the street below for a glimpse of the young newborn, and his nose perked up in hope of catching a whiff of her scent.

He moved quickly, but he couldn't help but feel that everything he did just wasn't enough- so much for being the ultimate newborn care taker. His brothers were never going to let him forget this one…

* * *

**A/N- And I've finally updated! Aren't you proud? LOL.**

** Le bIG qUEStioNs! (LET'S SEE WHO ANSWERS THIS ONE RIGHT!) What was Liz thinking going off on her own? And will Jazz be coming to the rescue? In any case, she's in SOO much trouble.**

**I'm honestly sorry for the long wait for an update (heh, it rhymes!) but I fear it's about to get much slower. Such is life when you're in high school, and have horribly annoying end of the year exams. Big History test tomorrow if we're already at it. Wish me luck!**

**I know this sort of a cliff-hanger, and I'm awfully mean to be leaving you hanging, but I prefered uploading what I had rather than not uploading at all, and I'll stick by my decision :) Feel free to ask me what's going on with the story when it's been entirely too long, if we get there. **

**I really do want to finish this story.**


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